Dear Wildfire Elementary School students, parents, staff, and community,
I am so excited and happy to join the Wildfire Elementary School family as its next Principal! Together with
Principal Vranesh, you have built Wildfire Elementary into a tremendous school with a great reputation around the Valley for having an amazing student body, staff, and support community. It is truly an honor to be a part of this wonderful community. I look forward to helping every student and staff member be the best they can be.
The 2018–2019 school year will mark my 14th year in education. This will be my first year in the Paradise Valley Unified School District, and my first as head principal. I started my teaching career in the Kansas City, Kansas School District where I taught Social Studies and Science in grades 6–8. I was also an after school math and reading tutor to students. and coached middle school soccer and as well as the Student Council sponsor.
After moving to Arizona with my wife Kaycee in 2012, I became the K–12 Social Studies Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Specialist for the Deer Valley School District. I held that position for 3 years and helped develop curriculum and assessments for the district, provide professional development to teachers and district administrators, as well as create lessons for the Arizona Department of Education and the Maricopa County Education Service Agency. In the summer of 2013, I taught English to elementary students at summer school programs in Beijing, China.
For the past 3 years, I served as Assistant Principal at Canyon Springs STEM Academy, which is a Pre–K –8 school in the Deer Valley School District. In this position, I worked with students, teachers, and parents to help lead the school to an “A” rating from ADE, and “A+” designation from the Arizona Education Foundation, and a STEM Certification from AdvancED. I am a Level 1 and Level 2 Google Certified Educator and am working towards my Google Certified Trainer endorsement.
I wholeheartedly believe that every man, woman, and child can learn and everyone can be successful in school. I feel it is important to expand our strengths and challenge our weaknesses. I am passionate about incorporating new technologies into the educational experience—students and teachers need to use technology effectively and responsibly so they are able to grow and compete in our evolving world.
I believe that communication, honesty, and visibility are key attributes to being an effective school leader, and try to practice these skills every day. All decisions relevant to our students—from classroom practices, policies, procedures, and discipline—should be based on what’s best for the student.
To me, ensuring student success at Wildfire Elementary isn’t just a job. My own children (my 4 year–old son Caleb, and 2–year old daughter Leah) will eventually attend Wildfire. As a father, my perspective on ensuring an effective learning environment has only strengthened—It is important to me that all children receive the education and school experience that I would want for my own kids. I look forward to working hard every day to help you achieve that goal.
Wildfire Elementary is a wonderful school, with an abundance of opportunities for students and staff to grow. I am truly blessed to join this community, and can’t wait to start the school year!
Sincerely,
Ryan Schoonover
