There will be new faces when school commences at Relay Elementary School in a few days, including the principal, Lisa Dingle.

A veteran of 22 years in the Baltimore County school system, Dingle was previously principal of Winfield Elementary School in Milford Mill. She was also a teacher for 11 years, mostly of third and fourth grade.

Dingle succeeds Heidi Miller, who is now principal at Timber Grove Elementary School in Owings Mills.

Patch: Being new to the school, do you have a sense of priorities, things you'd like to accomplish?

Dingle: Talking with my teachers, they're really interested in getting more technology into the building. This year, we're transitioning to the common core curriculum, so that will be a priority as we learn the curriculum and work toward full implementation in the 2013-14 school year.

Patch: What are some of the challenges that you face in your job?

Dingle: It's very similar in all schools-trying to be everywhere for all students. But that's what we love to do. So it isn't a challenge, it's a passion.

We also have a new assistant principal here, too (Anne Mehall), so both of us are getting acclimated at the same time and it will be a challenge. But so far, it really doesn't seem like a challenge, it's been smooth. It's been wonderful.

Patch: What do you find most rewarding about a career in education?

Dingle: Children just love to learn. Learning is a lifelong process. Not just learning what's in textbooks-that's important-but how do we spark that fire? I'm 43 years old and I'm still learning. I love learning.

Patch: Are there parts of the job that you don't like?

Dingle: Nobody likes paperwork. But that will never end. We'd rather be out of these offices and in the classrooms, but this is part of the job. There's a part of me that's still a teacher at heart.

Patch: Relay Elementary is a fine school, but does it have unique needs that have to be addressed?

Dingle: As we look at the data, Relay has consistently done a very good job. We're making adjustments as our population is growing, and how you manage that and still make sure that each student receives individualized  instruction. We can't control how our population is growing. But you can control how you manage that. So we're facing that.

Lisa Dingle can be reached at ldingle@bcps.org or 410-887-1426.