Home Sweet Home!

This was the first thought to cross my mind when I was given the opportunity to serve the community that is the foundation for both my personal and professional lives. As a graduate of Holtville High School and a former teacher at Holtville Elementary, I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of a community where fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends have deep roots that have stood the test of time, a community overflowing with that Green and White pride. I consider it to be an honor to be a part of the family at Holtville Middle School, where we strive to build upon the foundation established by Holtville Elementary and prepare students for Holtville High. Together, the three schools are working to prepare young men and ladies as they begin to transform into future leaders in an ever-changing society. 

As I prepare for the years ahead, I will always display the core element of my educational philosophy – being child centered. First, as an educator and an instructional leader, I deem it to be highly important to know my students and their individual strengths and areas of focus.  Relationships must be formed to ensure my vision is transparent between all partners.  Secondly, Rigor has settled in for the long haul with the advanced Math and English Language Arts standards, standards that place great emphasis on higher order thinking skills. As Dr. Bice, Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education recently described them, “With new standards, kids don’t just know math, they understand it!” Each passing day has shown us that the academic bar has been raised higher than ever before, ensuring that a diploma from an Alabama high school truly indicates that a graduate is ready for college or a career. These higher standards govern what is expected of today’s students academically, what is being taught, how the material is presented to the students, what is comprehended after the fact, and how skills are applied in everyday life.

Finally, students must have a realistic Sense of Connection to Holtville Middle School and their own future goals and dreams.  My mission is to connect my students with our school academically, developmentally, and socially in order to help them to achieve their goals and dreams. For me, being child centered means meeting the students where they are, building a respectful relationship, and establishing and maintaining educational values as the Holtville Bulldog tradition is passed down. In turn, these children will grow to be responsible adults of strong character and courageous strength, bold leaders who will hand down the Green and White Legacy!

 There is truly “NO PLACE LIKE HOME!”