Nicholas Adam, principal of J.P. Ryon Elementary School, was named the 2025 Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Principal of the Year.
Before coming to Ryon in 2023, Adam spent five years as principal of Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School after serving as an assistant principal at William A. Diggs and Malcolm elementary schools.
“He is not only a principal, but an inspiring leader who embodies the values of empathy, innovation and resilience,” Nicholas Gardiner, a fifth-grade teacher at T.C. Martin Elementary School, said. Gardiner worked at Mitchell when Adam was principal at the school and knows he carried expectational leadership skills to Ryon.
“He ensures that students feel heard, supported and motivated to reach their full potential,” Gardiner said. “Mr. Adam is an exceptional mentor and role model for the teaching staff.”
Adam began his career in education as a special education teacher at Eva Turner Elementary School following his graduation from Keuka College in Keuka Park, N.Y. He was at Turner for seven years before taking on the job of assistant principal at Malcolm where he stayed for two years before moving to the AP role at Diggs for another couple of years.
In January 2018, Adam was named principal of Mitchell. He moved to Ryon at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
He described his vision for Ryon as both aspirational and realistic. Adam is dedicated to integrating technology and new learning methodologies into curriculum which in turn prepares students for the demands of a rapidly changing world. What students see is a role model who cares about them, helping cultivate a school where they are safe to learn and grow.
Azariah Jackson, a fifth-grade student at Ryon, said Adam is the best principal he’s had, and he likes that they can joke around. “But when it is time to be serious, [he’ll] tell me the honest truth,” Jackson said. “[He] tells me what’s right and wrong.”
At Ryon, Adam seems to be everywhere at once. “I have been surprised by how fast he is,” fifth grader Keyla Mendez Hernandez said. “Even though [he] had something very important to do, [he] was still going places and helping as fast as [he] could. I have realized that Mr. Adam always comes to check on everyone’s classroom to see if we are doing to the right thing.”
Adam champions professional learning for staff to pursue innovative methods and share their knowledge with their peers. “Mr. Adam leads courageous conversations that promote, encourage and develop the best parts of each individual staff member,” Kayla B. Hawkins, assistant principal at Ryon, said.
He builds partnerships with community organizations to collaborate and bring resources and opportunities to students which reinforces the idea that education extends beyond the classroom. “His dedication to the community and commitment to the school climate and culture is remarkable to experience,” Hawkins said.
Adam also builds relationships with parents and families to strengthen the home-to-school bridge, fostering open dialogues and organizing events that allow parents and teachers to connect and team up to encourage students’ academic success.
By hosting “lunch bunches,” greeting students as they arrive each morning and participating in afternoon dismissal parents see that Adam is a dynamic leader that they can trust.
“Mr. Adam gives students a sense that they are seen, safe and secure,” Michael and Angela Rogalski, parents of Ryon students, said. “His unique vision and approach seem to not just see the best in others but actually bring it out.”
