Heather Garcia is the new principal at Brantner Elementary School, Thornton.
27J Schools Superintendent Chris Fiedler made the announcement earlier this month.
“I’m very excited to be the new principal of Brantner Elementary School. Branter is a wonderful community of people that cares deeply about children,” Garcia said in a statement. “I can’t wait to join them in their quest to take learning to the next level.”
Garcia, an 18-year veteran of 27J Schools, started her career in the district as a teacher at Belle Creek Charter School, where she worked for 10 years as a music teacher and band director.
Her next role was at Northeast Elementary School where she came on board as a music teacher, a position she held for three years. She was then promoted to Dean in 2017 and held that job for two years. In 2019, Garica was named the school’s assistant principal.
Her experience as a classroom teacher and school administrator sharpened her leadership and instructional skills, areas of expertise needed to be a successful principal, the statement said.
Garcia said she values people and genuinely wants to understand their perspectives, so she makes decisions that honor her stakeholder groups while achieving her school’s mission and goals.
“What we do matters. Each and every day, we have an opportunity to empower students to own their thinking and learning,” Garcia said in the statement. “We work side-by-side with parents who entrust us with their most precious resource – their child. It’s essential that we have a strong, trusting relationship with all parents to ensure we’re working in harmony to support student growth.”
The statement went on to say Garcia has a reputation for being a problem-solver, systems-thinker, collaborative leader and an astute academic and instructional leader who is skilled at using data to drive decisions and to continuously improve her school’s academic performance.
She begins her new position on July 1.