Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School has a new principal. Dr. La Faye E. Howard, previously assistant principal at Winston Churchill High School, stepped into the role when classes began Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously appointed Howard on April 30 under Resolution No. 143-26, acting on a recommendation from Superintendent Thomas Taylor. She is one of 26 principals who are newly hired or new to their schools across Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) this year, according to MoCoShow.

Howard won statewide recognition before the appointment. The Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, named her the 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year.

Churchill Principal John Taylor nominated her for the award, citing her work leading the school's No Place for Hate student group. The group had more than 120 members who planned lessons and activities promoting acceptance and worked to address bullying and hate-bias incidents, Taylor wrote in his nomination.

A Churchill student wrote that Howard "is always present and active and immerses herself in connecting with students, which makes it very easy for any student to talk with her, ask for help or just chat."

At a surprise celebration at Churchill on Dec. 13, 2024, when the award was announced, Howard described her approach. "Every day, we want to come in and do our very best," she said. "We want to be impactful; we want to cultivate relationships and we want to make a difference for every student we come across."

Superintendent Taylor, now in his third year leading Maryland's largest school district, praised Howard at that same December 2024 event. "It's a virtuous cycle when you have great students, great educators and great leadership in a school building," he said.

BCC climbed in recent rankings. The school placed No. 17 in Maryland in the 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings, up from No. 20 the prior year, Bethesda Magazine reported.

More than 150,000 students returned to MCPS classrooms Tuesday, Aug. 25, for the start of the school year. Taylor said on Aug. 25 that this year's district priorities include a systemwide cell phone ban for students and an intensified focus on math and literacy, according to Bethesda Magazine.