How long have you been the principal here?
Began in June – 4 months
How long have you been with the district?
9th year with the district
Position with CEC prior to Bruce?
North Engagement Center – social studies teacher and senior team lead
4 years at CEC – dean of culture and then assistant principal
What makes Bruce Randolph School a special place to work and learn?
“We’re a community school so the teachers have been here for many years. Some teachers have been here since the opening of the school. They’ve created deep relationships with families at Bruce over the years. We’ve had siblings of students, cousins, entire families come through and graduate from Bruce. I believe Bruce is unique because we also offer a lot of opportunities even with a small school environment. In 7 years, we have the opportunity to see people grow, mature and develop relationships with each other and themselves, which is pretty unique. I get to see kids grow for 7 years, and most principals don’t get to see that. We have the Hydrop farm, lots of athletics, music, and more unique opps for students to pursue whatever they’re passionate about here. They truly mature academically and it’s really cool to see the student come in from the front end and then see who they’re launching into the world as.”
What’s been a challenge about coming into a new community?
“I think Bruce has a rich history and tradition – I think learning a new place, people and new families, everyone has been so welcoming and incredibly helpful, reality is I haven’t worked in 6-12 so getting to know what’s unique and special about Bruce and making sure we’re building on that strong foundation is important.”
What does it mean to you to be a principal at Denver Public Schools?
“I’m honored, I think there’s a way to responsibility, our students deserve great educators around them and to me, I feel blessed and feel like I have a tremendous desire to make sure I am the best version of me so I can continue to deserve the trust and respect they’ve given me in allowing to be a leader here.”
What advice do you have for others who aspire to become a principal?
“I think the biggest piece is to continue to be a learner, there are amazing people doing amazing things in this district and other districts. My advice is tap into what other people are doing, look for opportunities to learn and grow, use what you’re learning to change what you see in front of you and I think hold onto the ‘why.’ There are good days and hard days in any position, so for me wanting to see success for each other and wanting to be a part in setting up students for long term success, staying grounded in the “why” even when it inevitably gets hard is the most important part.”
What is your favorite part of being a principal?
“Relationships with students, seeing students where they have success when they didn’t think they could, seeing the amazing things our students are doing and to be able to be a part of all of that.”
What inspires you most about your Bruce school community?
“I think we’re named after Bruce Randolph because of his resilience and passion for the community is what really stands out for me, and what I see here honors that legacy of people who really care. They are resilient and deeply passionate in this community and want to succeed wholeheartedly. Between family members wanting to see their children succeed or students wanting to see others grow. I think people deeply care here, which i hope daddy bruce would be proud of because that’s the legacy he left.”
Do you have any memorable interactions as principal or favorite moments as principal?
“I think the things I enjoy the most are just those opportunities to connect with students when you’re walking in and they say ‘it feels good to be here this year’ – really seeing students celebrate and share their growth they’re achieving. A few weeks ago students from hydroponics farm spoke at an event and I was getting texts during the event saying “they’re making me cry about how passionate and empowered they are in the work they’re doing” – it’s exciting and fun to see students step into these opportunities and just run with them”
What is your goal as principal for Bruce Randolph?
“We want to support between really high level academics, socio-emotional education, newcomers, multilingual and students of color to make sure that students are prepared to be career and college ready. How we set up students for a career long term, setting goals in alignment with our coursework and how we increase associate degrees. These are all goals because we want to see more students leaving Bruce and going to a meaningful career – 4 year college, 2 year college, certificate, technical school or something else to set them up for long term success for when they leave here.”
Anything more you’d like to add?
“I have a fantastic job and most people think the principal’s job is hard and there are hard things about the job but it’s the best job and I get to enjoy it. Getting to work with amazing students, office staff, assistant principals – I just feel very fortunate and any good administrator has awesome people around them, I feel fortunate to have a lot of amazing people that do so much of the hard work behind the scenes.”