IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Thought leaders and innovators in education
Arlington ISD principal brings her pioneering spirit to new academy By Raven L. Hill
h Principal Katiuska Herrador makes music with her students at the Jimmy and Laura Jones Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language, which opened this year with 88 kindergarteners in four classrooms. It eventually will expand up to sixth grade. Students spend half the day speaking Spanish and the other half speaking English. Math and science are taught in Spanish; language arts and social studies are taught in English. Students also spend 90 minutes in music, theater, visual art and dance classes.
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hen Katiuska Herrador heard about a new dual language and fine arts academy opening in Arlington ISD, she went for the top job — even though it meant leaving the school district where she had spent her entire career to date. Carpe diem has been Herrador’s lifelong mantra, passed down by her mother, who left her native Venezuela to study biology and become a college professor. “She always said, ‘Take every opportunity that comes your way because you’re not sure when the next one will,’” Herrador recalls. Herrador wants to instill a similar sense of determination in others as the founding principal at the Jimmy and Laura Jones Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language. Jones Academy, which opened this school year, is one of two academies in Arlington ISD designed to nurture students’ artistic interests while exposing them to world languages and culture. Jones Academy is housed at Roquemore Elementary, which is slated to close at the end of the school year. Being principal of both the new academy and the closing elementary school requires a careful balancing act.
Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos says he knew immediately that Herrador would be up for the challenge. “Katiuska’s commitment to excellence, her enthusiasm for education, and her passion for teaching and learning — those things really came through when we first met,” he says. “Katiuska and her staff have been able to make this campus one, continuing the traditions of [Roquemore] and keeping the excitement of the first cohort [at Jones]. She is the right person in the right program for our community and students.” With the first half of the school year behind her, Herrador credits her success so far to strong and frequent communication among all stakeholders. “That helps spread the theme of unity. Yes, we have two different programs, but we’re one team,” says Herrador, who is also Region 10 president-elect for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. “At the end of the day, we’re responsible for every child who comes through the door. Our focus must always be what’s best for all kids.” > See SPOTLIGHT, page 26 Texas School Business JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
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