Founding South County High School administrator named new principal

Gary Morris, center, with South County High School staff members. (Fairfax County Public Schools image)

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) announced the appointment Thursday of a new administrative leader at South County High School in Lorton.

Gary Morris, who was part of South County’s original administrative team when the high school first opened in 2005, was named principal effective August 16, just under two weeks shy of the start of the 2018-2019 academic year.

A former technology education instructor at FCPS, Morris served as assistant principal at South County and at Mountain View High School in Centreville, where he was promoted to principal in 2015.

Besides working in education and school administration, Morris has been a professional athlete and coach.

While pursuing his bachelor’s degree in electronics technology at Norfolk State University (NSU), Morris was a top wide receiver for the NSU Spartans, eventually being picked up as a free agent by the San Francisco 49ers. He went on to play in the Canadian Football League for three years while completing his master’s in teaching technology education at NSU. He also did some coaching for George Mason University’s football team and for local high school teams over the years, according to press reports.

Morris earned his education specialist degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech.

As the new top administrator at South County, Morris replaces former principal Matt Ragone who was put on administrative leave toward the end of the 2017-2018 school year.