“Proud Principal of Tonopah Valley High School,” is how Edgar Garcia answered when asked about his job title.
Edgar Garcia has been the principal at Tonopah Valley High School for 14 years and has seen the growth of not only the school but also the community. TVHS became an Arizona GEAR UP 5E’s of Equity School in 2019, and Garcia says he saw an instant change.
“For us, it was like a culture shift. We were able to bring in two GEAR UP Coaches and one assistant to help students focus on postsecondary success,” Garcia said.
With the introduction of GEAR UP, Mr. Garcia saw opportunities to help build upon the college-going culture. Garcia learned about the District Leadership Institute (DLI) put on by the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, and he was immediately interested.
The DLI is a leadership development program that brings together school and community leaders from across the country to collaborate and create plans to help advance educational equity in their communities. Edgar Garcia saw the opportunity to participate in the 10-month course, and he took it.
One of the reasons Mr. Garcia was interested in the DLI was the emphasis on the Civic Action Project (CAP), a project dedicated to improving the school’s community. With collaboration from the school and the DLI, the CAP Project was dedicated to helping build a college-going culture within the Tonopah Community, involving students and parents. This project is designed to support first-generation college students and their families, who comprise most of the TVHS population.
The multi-approach project is a big one, but one Edgar and the school staff are tackling head-on. The project’s first phase started at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, where the focus was on establishing a relationship with students and educating them about all of the postsecondary possibilities. TVHS used GEAR UP Funds to help build a collaborative center with educational resources.
The goal for next year is to increasingly engage and work with parents by providing more opportunities for participation in the postsecondary process.
“It’s powerful to be able to sit down and talk to parents in their language and be able to communicate, explain, and provide opportunities,” Garcia said. “the excitement in the energy that comes from it is because I’m a first-gen student myself.”
During his time at the DLI, Mr. Garcia learned invaluable information to help support students and families on the postsecondary journey. He learned the importance of community partners and how educating students and parents on available resources goes a long way.
Due to COVID, meeting in person was a challenge, but he was able to make his way out to DC to share his experience in the program and receive his certificate of completing the program.
If you or anyone you know is interested in the NCCEP District Leadership Institute, please visit the DLI webpage.