I hope this letter finds you healthy and enjoying the beginning of summer with family and friends. I am writing to introduce myself as the proud new Principal of Newark Vocational High School. My transfer from Principal of Elliott Street School became official as of July 1, 2022.  This year marks my 16th as an educator in Newark, and my 8^th year as an administrator. I began my career here as a teacher at Newton Street School in 2007.  I was a teacher in the district for 8 years before becoming a Vice Principal at Rafael Hernandez School in 2015.  Two years later I was appointed as Principal of Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School. I served in this role for another two years and then became the Principal of Elliott Street School. I remained leading at Elliott for three wonderful years and have now been given the amazing opportunity to take on the role of Principal of Newark Vocational High School.

I am thrilled to become part of the Newark Vocational High School community and am eager to learn as much as possible about our school.  I will be sending surveys to staff, students and families to learn about what has been going well over the past three years and understand more about what can be done better. We will enhance already strong practices and partnerships while also making improvements within areas of need. This will include more focus on social emotional learning and prioritizing the safety of all stakeholders within our school community. Policies, schedules, and the overall operations of the school will be examined and revised carefully. We will determine priority areas on which to focus to lead the school to greatness. I strongly believe in the collaboration of all parties in order to have a school functioning at its fullest potential. Together we will develop core values focused on academic achievement, conduct as well as the overall well-being and success of the students.

I fully recognize that change can be difficult, however change also helps us grow and brings about opportunities. I ask that you enter this new chapter with me with an open mind and commitment to making our school a unique and wonderful place to learn and prepare our students for college and the careers of their choice.  We all chose to be where we are at this point in time. We chose Newark Vocational High School. We must choose to make it even greater than it already has been. We will do that as a school community. This year we will graduate our first senior class. We will be asking for family and student input regarding how to make it the best year yet for the students!

I will be reaching out to you again before the end of July with additional information including meet and greet sessions so we can get to know each other before school officially starts. My email address and school contact number are below. Please feel free to contact myself or the main office staff with any questions.  Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your summer!