As the final bell of the school year rings, it will mark the end of an era, as our beloved Mr. Spage will close the door on nearly a dozen years of service as principal of Broad Run. The year is 2014, to the rest of the world that’s just another year, but to Broad Run High School, 2014 was the start of a new age. It’s been more than a decade since then, and our school has gotten better because of it. We all have one man to thank for that: our principal, Mr. David Spage. But like everything else, even good things come to an end.
Initially, Mr. Spage did not think that he would end up becoming a teacher or an administrator in high school because he went to college as a computer science major. But once he started teaching, one thing led to another and 23 years later, he became the principal for Broad Run High School. Mr. Spage got into education almost accidentally.
He was on a run in 1991 when he ran into a friend who asked him to coach the freshman football team of a local high school. Little did he know that that would build up to a 27 year long legacy. “I went into education and as soon as I started doing some coaching stuff, I decided to go take classes and get fully certified and get a masters degree in education…” he said.
However, Mr. Spage did not start his career as an administrator in Loudoun County; he started working as an assistant principal in Fairfax County. Later, he came to Broad Run as an assistant principal for three, then he left Broad Run to be a principal at another school in Fairfax, before finally coming back to Broad Run as a principal in 2014, and now by the end of this academic year, Mr. Spage will retire from Broad Run. His career has come full circle, beginning at Broad Run as an assistant principal, and ending it as a principal.
Just like any career, his as a principal at Broad Run has not been smooth sailing. He also has faced challenges, large and small. When asked about the challenges he has faced, he said “I’d say the biggest ones [challenges] are probably dealing with people,” but Mr. Spage does not view them only as challenges, he says “The greatest rewards are also the people,” showing that the relationships and challenges that test a leader are also the ones that can be the most fulfilling.
Mr. Spage’s time in education has seen a lot of changes, some of the biggest ones being in technology, especially since the first iPhone came out in 2007. That development fundamentally changed the relationship between education and technology, something that Mr. Spage also recognizes, he said “I would say the way technology is being integrated into life impacts how we educate at the secondary level, which is high school.” Then came Covid, which is also something equally influential because we will never fully go back to the way things were before. Now, we have the impact of artificial intelligence or AI. Mr. Spage says that when something like AI hits us so fast we aren’t able to, we are generally not able to capitalize on that from an educational perspective, but he also says that it will only be better once we fully understand it and learn how to capitalize on it.
Despite the huge changes not only Broad Run, but the whole world has seen, Mr. Spage believes that Broad Run’s culture hasn’t changed, that the way Broad Run treats people has stayed the same throughout his time here and that’s something our school has either promoted or maintained under his leadership. Another part of our culture is the environment. He feels that “we have set up a very good climate for success for all students,” but he also acknowledges that we have more work to do, and that “we need to work on finding a way to reach it [success for all students].”
When asked how he would want to be remembered by Broad Run he said “I would say the most important thing for me, is he was always there, no matter how you reached him, he was always there.” His legacy will truly have a lasting impact on our school.
Before I end this article, here’s the advice he has for Broad Run. “Work hard, play hard, that’s probably the best advice I can give,” that’s for the student body, and for the new principal, whoever they are, he says “Be accessible, be a good communicator, and go slow to go far.”
Congratulations on an amazing career Mr. Spage and have a happy retirement.
M • Apr 30, 2026 at 2:39 pm
BR will miss mr.spage
Natalie Spage • Apr 30, 2026 at 1:46 pm
I dare say, I might be Mr. Spage’s biggest fan. I see, up close, how much of a positive impact Mr. Spage has on the students. My peers would often say how “stoic” my dad seemed, but once they talked to him, would immediately rave about how compassionate and kind he is.
This is an excellent article. Broad Run, its students, faculty, and staff, are exemplary. And I know how proud my dad is of every student that’s passed through these halls.