Hello Azalea Gardens Middle School students, teachers, parents, and the community!

My name is Dr. James Kirk (no T in the middle), and it is with great excitement and anticipation that I begin to serve in the role of principal here at Azalea Gardens Middle School. I fully recognize the importance of all that has been entrusted to myself, the administrative team, the teachers, staff, and support personnel. I am humbled and grateful for this opportunity. Our mission, our calling, is to make AGMS the best middle school and provide the strongest education for all of students.

I have been an educator with Norfolk Public Schools since 1996. I have served as a teacher and reading specialist at Rosemont Middle School, department chair and administrative team member at Northside Middle, instructional specialist at Blair Middle, and dean of students at Lafayette-Winona Middle. In 2007, I became assistant principal at Lake Taylor Middle School and helped to support the first attainment of full accreditation in school history. Since then, I have also worked as an assistant principal at Blair and Ruffner. This year marks my sixth as principal and fifth year at Azalea Gardens Middle. 

I graduated from Wheaton North High School, home of the Mighty Fighting Falcons, in Wheaton, Illinois. After earning a Bachelor of Science in English degree from Southern Illinois University, my first job in education was as a substitute teacher at Ferguson-Florissant High School in Ferguson, Missouri. I also have a Master’s in Reading from ODU and an Educational Specialist’s degree in Administration from UVA. In May of 2016, I finally completed my formal education, graduating from George Washington University with a Doctoral degree in educational administration and policy studies. The main thing I learned was that if we pull together as a team, understand that our work comes first, and we apply feedback and build on success, there is very little we can’t accomplish.

I truly am looking forward to building a strong home-school partnership as we embark on the 2021-2022 school year. Remember as always: Go Rockets!

Dr. James Kirk, Principal
7721 Azalea Garden Road
Norfolk, VA. 23518

Phone: (757) 531-3000
Fax: (757) 531-3013
Email Address:  jmkirk@nps.k12.va.us