May 5, 2020

Dear CAS Families,

I hope this letter finds you safe and healthy during this pandemic.  All of our thoughts and prayers are with those of you who are facing financial challenges or illness during this time.  Please know that we are always available and eager to connect you with resources or support.

I am so excited to be taking on the role as Principal at Citizens Academy Southeast for the 2020-2021 school year!  I have been part of the Breakthrough family since 2013, and I am looking forward to this new adventure.

I started my career as a Kindergarten teacher at Village Prep Cliffs while I worked on a Master of Science in Elementary Education and Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.  In 2016, I moved to Columbus where I taught third grade at KIPP Columbus Elementary before transitioning into leadership as a Dean of Instruction for the next two years.  This year, I have served as a founding sixth-grade teacher and instructional coach at Citizens Leadership Academy Southeast, and I am so incredibly grateful to be able to lead as a continued part of this community.  This summer, I will finalize a Master of Education in Public School Building Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Our community is so unique; we have some of the hardest working educators and some of the most loving families I have ever had the privilege to know.  Our community has also experienced quite a few challenges over the past year.  However, from changes in leadership to a global pandemic, we remain committed to our singular goal of ensuring your children receive the best academic experience we can provide.

During the next school year, we are excited to focus on re-establishing the community culture in our building that makes Citizens so unique.  We know that our scholars are capable of great things, and we also know that children thrive in highly structured environments that create space for them to make mistakes, learn, and grow.  Over the next year, we will build in time for community meetings, celebrations, assemblies, and so many more experiences that will foster the citizenship and motivation that we know will help our scholars succeed for years to come.  Along the way, we are excited to see them meet and exceed their academic goals on their way to the next grade, middle school, high school, and beyond.

I am so excited to get started, and I am so grateful to have the privilege to serve as the leader of this very special place over the years to come.  I am looking forward to meeting all of you and am deeply appreciative of you for trusting us to educate your child on the path to and through college.  Please do not hesitate to give me a call so we can “meet!”

Yours in Education,