Gerri Shaw, longtime principal at Aprende Middle School in west Chandler, has announced her plans to retire at the end of the current school year.
Shaw has worked at the school 18 years, including 10 years as principal.
She faced particular challenges only two weeks into the school year, dealing with the after-effects of one student taking his life and the sudden death of another just two weeks later.
On a positive note, Shaw is credited with overseeing the school’s pursuit of academic excellence that resulted in it being selected as one of two Kyrene district recipients of the Arizona Department of Education’s A+ School of Excellence designation. The other was Kyrene de la Mariposa Elementary.
Shaw also has been a strong advocate for adoption of the innovative STEM program, which provides students with a head start in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
In a letter to parents, Shaw thanked parents, her staff and district administrators for their support.
“Over the years, the involvement of parents at Aprende has steadily increased. Whether parents are joining us for the Meet and Greet Breakfasts, volunteering for field trips, attending special events or responding to requests from teachers, the partnership has been an important component in making Aprende an excellent school.”
Shaw said her goal is to make the school “stronger than ever academically by the end of the year.”
Kyrene officials said the district will follow standard recruitment procedures to help ensure that a new principal will be ready to step into the vacant position by the time the next school year starts in August.
This will make many parents happy.