Article Text

For several Fairfax County Public Schools employees, working for the district has become a family affair. Spouses, siblings, close friends and their children have built lives together while serving schools across the county.

The Dowling, Christoff and Curtin families share connections stretching from college and graduate school to classrooms, coaching and school leadership.

Holly Dowling, principal of Bailey’s Upper Elementary School and a former assistant principal at Braddock Elementary School, met her husband, John, after moving to the area. John teaches government and personal finance at McLean High School, where he is also a state-champion baseball coach. He previously taught at Lewis High School. Their two children attend Braddock’s immersion program.

John’s assistant coach at McLean, Ryan Christoff, moved to the Washington area with John, Monika Christoff and Kevin Curtin after the four attended graduate school at Syracuse University. John and Kevin had previously met as undergraduates at Ithaca College. They began teaching in the region in 2007.

Ryan and Monika worked together at Thoreau Middle School for years. Monika now teaches math and coaches volleyball at Westfield High School, while Ryan works as an instructional coach at Holmes Middle School. They have one son.

Kevin and Julie Curtin work at Marshall High School, where they moved together after meeting early in their teaching careers. Julie, formerly an English and ESOL teacher, now chairs the ESOL department. Kevin teaches history and has served in several leadership positions. Their two children attend Kings Park and Kings Glen elementary schools.

The three couples participated in one another’s weddings, vacation together and serve as emergency contacts for each other’s children. The children call the adults aunt and uncle.

“The three couples became the best of friends,” Holly said. “Over the years we have shown up for each other and each other’s kids in many different ways.”

During the pandemic, the families formed a pod so their five children, each about a year apart in age, could be cared for together while the parents taught.

Brothers Ray and Jeff Lonnett have also built decades-long careers in the school system. They moved from western Pennsylvania in the early 2000s to work at London Towne Elementary School, where Ray taught several grade levels and Jeff taught art.

Jeff later met Cori at Providence Elementary School. The couple married in 2006 and have a son, Cade, who is preparing to attend college in the fall.

Ray moved into leadership roles with Great Beginnings and served as principal of Great Falls and Hutchison elementary schools. He later became an executive principal for Regions 1 and 6 and now serves as assistant superintendent for Region 3.

After leaving London Towne, Jeff taught art at Providence, Colvin Run and Mosaic elementary schools. He later joined the central office, supporting Project Based Learning and Portrait of a Graduate through the Advanced Academic Program office. He has also created artwork for schools and special programs around the county.

Cori has served as a counselor at Westbriar, Brookfield and Bonnie Brae elementary schools. Her work has included school leadership, pyramid leadership and countywide workshops.

For Ray, Jeff and Cori, the relationships formed during more than 20 years in the district have expanded their definition of family.

The Cardona-Navas family’s story began in Guatemala, where Jessica Navas was living temporarily when she met Luis Cardona. The couple is approaching its 23rd wedding anniversary and can often be found having lunch together at the Gatehouse cafe.

Jessica joined the district’s Early Childhood Head Start program in 2006 and has worked in human resources since 2018. She is now a technician with the HR Employee Recognition Team. Luis joined the Gatehouse property management team in 2022 after spending more than 15 years in property management.

Their son, Dominick, has attended county schools since preschool. Now a sophomore at Marshall High School, he is considering a career in education and plans to join the Teachers for Tomorrow program next year.

Kirsten and Joel Adams found both their careers and each other at South Lakes High School. Kirsten moved to the area after graduate school and began teaching Spanish 14 years ago. She later met Joel, a history and social studies teacher, and the two remained casual friends for seven years.

When Joel eventually asked her out six and a half years ago, Kirsten initially declined before changing her mind. They married in 2021 and welcomed their daughter, Isabel, in 2024.

The couple continues to work at South Lakes, the school where a professional connection grew into a family.