Rancho Santa Fe (The Ranch) Elementary School Principal Vanessa Zuniga
Submitted photo/LESD79
With 21 years in education and leadership at Rancho Santa Fe beginning in the 2019-20 school year, Zuniga focuses on helping students discover their potential and building a school community where everyone belongs.
For the principal of Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School, known affectionately as The Ranch, education is a family tradition.
Vanessa Zuniga attended schools in the Litchfield Elementary School District, as did her husband. Now their children attend district schools, continuing a multigenerational connection.
With 21 years in education and leadership at Rancho Santa Fe beginning in the 2019-20 school year, Zuniga focuses on helping students discover their potential and building a school community where everyone belongs.
What led you into school leadership? Leadership gave me the opportunity to champion not only students but the adults who serve them every day. I wanted to create a school where children are excited to arrive, staff feel supported and families know they're part of the village.
What's the most rewarding part of leading The Ranch? The village we've become. It takes all hands on deck to support our Broncos in believing in their potential and worth.
What programs are you most proud of? Our Leader in Me work drives who we are. From student leadership roles and Roundup Buddies to assemblies and the eight habits, we give students opportunities to find their voices, lead others and recognize their own genius.
What's the greatest challenge facing your school? Lower enrollment. Declining enrollment can affect staffing, resources and opportunities, so we're challenged to think differently about meeting students' needs with what we have.
What makes your school community special? Our partnerships create memorable experiences for students and help families feel a sense of belonging.
What do you hope families understand about The Ranch? Our greatest ambassadors are our students, staff and families, who share what it means to “Lead, Connect, and Achieve” at The Ranch.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here