When did you start your career as a principal?
“This is my fifth year as a principal. I started in the 2019-20 school year.”
What was your goal when you initially started as a principal? Has that goal been achieved? Has your vision shifted?
“My goal (as a principal) is to improve the student, staff and community experience. My goal was and still is to put Kennedy on the map as a thriving and comprehensive Bear Valley neighborhood high school. Have we achieved that goal? I would say we’ve achieved parts of the goal. I think that there are many people in the community that see John F. Kennedy High School as a quality school. Many of our students enjoy their experiences here and many of our staff are happy to work here. But we still have work to do.”
How do you define success as a principal?
“Students. Creating an environment in which all students have the knowledge and opportunity to pursue their dreams; are happy and feeling safe to take risks, try new things, and connect with new people; and, all of our students are graduating from our high school in four years prepared for their post-secondary goals.
From the staff perspective, (success is defined as) staff feeling trusted, respected, and empowered to achieve their professional goals.”
What’s your favorite part about being a principal?
“The interactions I get to have with people! The interactions I get to have with students, staff, families. It’s seeing my students find success and celebrating them. I also love to solve problems, so I’m constantly troubleshooting and finding ways to improve our school to be the best possible high school for our community.”
Do you have any memorable interactions as principal or favorite moments as principal?
“There are those moments where students will say, ‘You’re the best principal. I love you so much.’ Those are great, but the moments that stick with you are the ones in which you can provide support to a student and family when they’re at the verge of giving up. Then you see them slowly making gains, finding successes and getting back on track. It’s those conversations and moments that stick with you.
And then there are other more everyday moments–when students come back from college and felt totally prepared at John Hopkins or Harvard; when you get to celebrate students for their achievements, like Rachel Hernandez (a Commended National Merit Scholar.) “
What keeps you motivated when you’re having a bad day?
“The students, 100%. Knowing the students so well and being able to have positive interactions with them even when we’re trying to get them to class or supporting them to make smarter choices.”
In your own words, what does it mean to be a Commander?
“A Commander is an advocate of their passions, challenger of inequity, and champion of change. They take command of their future. Ideally, a Commander is fighting for what they think is right, dedicating themselves to their academic goals, personal growth and overall well-being.”
What does it mean to you to be a principal in Denver Public Schools?
“To be a principal in Denver Public Schools means that you need to have the students’ best interest in mind when making every decision. You need to hold tight to your values even when they’re being questioned. Your values need to be equity focused. You need to be really committed to elevating the student voice because this is their education, and they need to have a huge voice in what that looks like.”
What advice do you have to others who want to be a principal?
“I would say:
Interact with students as often as possible.
Make sure you’re getting into classrooms and understanding what’s happening on all levels of your school.
Reflect on your own biases regularly.
Be intentional about balance. It is okay to take the day off on your birthday.”