New School Year, New School Leadership

Many APS schools have new principals and assistant principals as a result of retirements, resignations, transfers and promotions.

“These school leaders exude excitement and energy," said APS Superintendent Raquel Reedy. "Together, we will work to help our students succeed, to support our hard-working employees and to have some fun along the way."

A few new assistant principal positions were created to accommodate growing school populations or to support schools identified by the state as needing more intervention.   

High Schools

Principal

Albuquerque High: Ryan Homistek, former principal at Ernie Pyle Middle School, fills the vacancy left by Tim McCorkle's retirement.   

Assistant Principals

Albuquerque High: Martha Garcia Marroquin, who was a Title I resource teacher, takes over for Cesar Hernandez, who is now principal at Los Padillas Elementary School. 

Artisco Heritage Academy: Former Dean of Students Cristina Benitez de Luna is filling the vacancy created when Doreen Trotz became principal of Mark Twain Elementary School.

eCademy Special Education: Erin Easley, an eCademy teacher, is filling the job left vacant when Shellmarie Harris was promoted to principal.  

Eldorado:  Michelle Mansfield moves from Dean of Students to fill the position left vacant by the retirement of Sam Chavez. 

Highland: This new position has been filled by Eliza Romero, former principal at Mountainair High School. 

La Cueva: This new position has been filled by Leigh Arnett, who was the Dean of Students. 

Manzano: This new position is being filled by Dean Leh, a former teacher at Atrisco Heritage Academy.

Rio Grande: This new position is being filled by Thomas Piper, who was the Director of School Accountability Support. 

Rio Grande: Benjamin Garcia moves from the classroom at Highland to this newly created position. 

Sandia Special Education: Mary Cade, a special education principal at Jimmy Carter Middle School, fills the vacancy left by Kara Sanchez's resignation.    

Valley AVID: This new position was filled by Ronald Worley, who was the Dean of Students.

West Mesa: Sondra Slivon, who was a Title I resource teacher, is filling this new position.  

Middle School

Principals 

Cleveland: Former Assistant Principal Marisol Fraga takes over the top spot following the retirement of Susan Labarge.  

Ernie Pyle: Stacia Duarte, formerly principal at Painted Sky Elementary, takes over for Ryan Homistek, who took the job at Albuquerque High.

John Adams: Kenneth Merhege, a former teacher at Harrison Middle School, takes over for Modesta Hernandez, who is the new principal at Armijo Elementary School.  

Special Education: Eulalia Gonzales comes from Gallup Municipal Schools to fill this new position.

Assistant Principals

Cleveland: Amanda St. John, who was an instructional coach at Mark Twain, takes over for Marisol Fraga who is now the school’s principal.

Desert Willow Family School: Assistant Principal Trish Teasdale is serving as interim principal upon the retirement of Gael Keyes.  

George I. Sanchez: Juan Rodriguez, the former Dean of Students, has stepped into this new position.

Grant: Kacy Cash, who was a special education teacher at Mitchell Elementary School, is filling this new position.

Hillerman: Jerri Lafer, formerly an assistant principal at Jimmy Carter Middle School, is filling this new position.

Hillerman: Anna Lucero-Sanchez, a former special education resource teacher, is filling this vacancy created by the transfer of Suzy Palmer to Bel-Air Elementary School.

Tres Volcanes: This new position for this new school is being filled by Hannah Mainofla, who was a special education teacher at Alvarado Elementary School.

Washington: Jess Wiltamuth comes from the Highland classroom to fill the vacancy created when Janelle Cordova took a teaching position.  

Elementary School

Principal

Armijo: Modesta Hernandez, the former principal at John Adams Middle Schools, takes over following the retirement of Julietta Contreras.

Bel-Air: Suzy Palmer, a Hillerman assistant principal, fills the position vacated by the resignation of Kathy Casaus.

Coronado: Nathaniel Kuster, a bilingual/TESOL teacher at the school, takes over following the retirement of Anna Marie Ulibarri.  

Corrales: Liv Baca-Hochhausler, who was the head special education teacher at Desert Willow Family School, fill the position left vacant when Kimberly Finke became principal of Whittier Elementary School.

Manzano Mesa: Gilbert Bryan Garcia of Rio Rancho Public Schools is Interim Principal following Peggy Candelaria’s move to the Title I Department, where she now serves as Executive Director. 

Mark Twain: Doreen Trotz, who was an assistant principal at Atrisco Heritage Academy, is taking over for Amanda Walker who returned to teaching.

McCollum: Gabrielle Miller made the move from assistant principal at Chelwood Elementary to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Carrie McGill.

Navajo: Sarah Garcia, an elementary school assistant principal from Las Cruces, is filling the job left vacant by the resignation of Elias Casaus.  

Painted Sky: Sallie Oden, who was a principal in Tennessee, is taking the place of Stacia Duarte, who moved to Ernie Pyle. 

Sierra Vista: Jaclyn Bogue moves from the assistant principal position following the transfer of Monica Garciasalas to Tres Volcanes.

Assistant Principals

Adobe Acres: Doreen Baca, the instructional coach at Mary Ann Binford Elementary School, is filling the job left vacant by the resignation of Rosa Swonger.

Bandelier: The district is working to fill the position left vacant by the transfer of Kaye Bates to La Mesa Elementary School.

Carlos Rey: Bruce Torres it taking over for Alma Ripley, who transferred to Chaparral Elementary School.  

Chaparral: Alma Ripley of Carlos Rey Elementary School is filling a new position at the school.  

Chelwood: The district is working to fill the position left vacant by the transfer of Gabrielle Miller to McCollum ES.

Double Eagle: Shayna Kagan, who was the instructional coach, is stepping up to fill this new position.

East San Jose/Dolores Gonzales: Heather Maresca, who was an instructional coach at Dolores Gonzales, is now serving as assistant principal for both schools, filling a vacancy at East San Jose created when Veronica Nolan moved to Eugene Field.  

Emerson: Carlos Trujillo moves from the classroom in Corrales to fill this position left vacant by the resignation of Andrea Ochoa.  

Helen Cordero: Mary Lynn Salazar, who was the school’s instructional coach, is stepping into the position left vacant when Kurt Ruckman returned to the classroom.

John Baker and Osuna: Kathryn Eaton, formerly of Matheson Park Elementary School, will split her time between Osuna and John Baker. These are new positions.

La Mesa: Kaye Bates, who split her time between Bandelier and Gov. Bent elementary schools, is filling this new position.

Lavaland: Eder Ortiz, a bilingual resource teacher, is filling the part-time position left vacant by the transfer of Dolores Espinosa de Ortega to Pajarito.  

Los Padillas: Mayra Moncada, who was a teacher at Adobe Acres Elementary School, is filling this new position.

Pajarito: Dolores Espinosa de Ortega, the former assistant principal at Lavaland Elementary school, is stepping into the position left vacant by the retirement of Mario Marquez.  

Petroglyph: Anna Chavez made the move from Armijo Elementary to fill this new position.  

Sierra Vista: Cory Donley, who was a West Mesa High School special education teacher, is filling the vacancy created when Jaclyn Bogue became the school’s principal.

S.Y. Jackson: Brad Harberts moves from the classroom to fill this new position.