Posted February 20, 2024
Dear Hallett Families,
Please join us in welcoming Ms. Ana Mendoza to our Hallett community!
Ms. Mendoza is our Interim Principal alongside Ms. Charmaine Keeton.
She is here to support operations, discipline and culture at Hallett Academy. She was here as the Interim Principal substitute in January while Ms. Keeton was in Antarctica. Ms. Mendoza will be here part time, three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please continue reading to learn more about Interim Principal, Ana Mendoza.
Ana Mendoza, a retired principal from Denver Public Schools since 2020, has been in education for 44 years, 30 of those years in administration. Before retiring she was the principal at West Early College at the West High School Campus. Her passion for equity and school improvement led to a strong trajectory and academic success for all students at West Early College. Her teaching background is in Special Education, Literacy, English Language Acquisition for second language learners and Deaf Education. Since retiring she has continued to serve Denver Public Schools as an interim principal, most recently at Knapp Elementary and Asbury Elementary. Prior to her years in Denver Public Schools, Ana served as an administrator in Boulder Valley, Ft Lupton, Brighton and Texas.
She believes her role as the interim administrative leader of a school in the absence of the primary leader, is to build strong relationships to keep the campus safe while maintaining the established systems and organizational structures already in place. More importantly, she believes it is necessary to support the social-emotional welfare of students, staff, and community members dealing with the stresses or trauma that may have been caused by the absence of their building leader.
Her philosophy has always been that all students, no matter the age or need, require multiple systems of support in order to be successful in school and postsecondary settings. Her own experiences as a first generation Latina/Native American leader have driven her leadership and passion to inspire her students to achieve that ultimate goal, no matter the challenges life may bring.