Rosa Chavez-Avedician and Libby Tidwell have been named the first principals of the Socorro Independent School District’s newest combination elementary and middle school, respectively. The new school, which is being built in the El Dorado area, will open for the 2013-2014 school year.
SISD superintendent José Espinoza announced the combo school’s new principals Oct. 31 at O’Shea Keleher Elementary School and Montwood Middle School where Chavez-Avedician and Tidwell are principals, respectively. The principals will take on their new positions on Jan. 8.
“Mrs. Chavez-Avedician and Mrs. Tidwell are remarkable individuals, educators, and leaders. They are veterans with a wealth of experience in education and our District,” Espinoza said. “That is precisely why I feel they will do an excellent job opening our District’s 44th and 45th campuses. I look forward to their unwavering dedication to student achievement taking root in the new combo school, and I am confident the students and parents of their new school community will experience the remarkable success we’ve grown accustomed to from O’Shea Elementary and Montwood Middle.”
Rosa Chavez-Avedician
Chavez-Avedician has been an educator for 21 years. Her journey began in the Ysleta Independent School District as an elementary teacher in various grade levels and a Title I coordinator. She was an assistant principal for five years at Tierra Del Sol Elementary.
Chavez-Avedician has been the principal of O’Shea Elementary since 2007. She believes in the importance of being a true instructional leader, developing Professional Learning Communities, and building strong relationships to achieve success.
She has served on numerous Texas Agency Education committees such as The Curriculum Review Committee for House Bill 256, Texas Update Advisory Committee for the Examination of Education in Texas, and the Texas Essentials of Knowledge Skills Writing Committee. She was also nominated as Teacher of the Year in YISD and was selected to attend the Harvard Leadership Academy in 2011.
“What I have and what I am is because of you all. O’Shea Keleher has certainly prepared me to take on this opportunity,” Chavez-Avedician said during the announcement at O’Shea Keleher Elementary School. “I take a hand print in my heart from each and every one of
you.”
Libby TidwellTidwell has 34 years of experience as an educator with 32 years in Socorro ISD. She taught for 19 years in various grade levels spanning from first through eighth grade. She was an assistant principal for five years at Montwood MS, Hueco Elementary, and Socorro MS. She has been the principal at Montwood MS for the past ten years.
While at Montwood MS, Tidwell was instrumental in leading the Montwood MS faculty and students to a TEA Recognized rating in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years and a TEA Exemplary rating in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. Tidwell has numerous accolades including being named the Horizon Heights Elementary Teacher of the Year and the TASSP Region 19 Middle School Principal of the Year.
“I want to thank you… Montwood Middle will always be very special to me. This is a great opportunity for me and it is exciting for me,” Tidwell said to her staff at Montwood Middle School. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything and for everything that we have worked for.”
Community input for principals’ positions
The openings for the principal position at O’Shea Keleher Elementary and Montwood Middle will be posted this week. A new community involvement segment will be implemented as part of the principal selection process.
District administrators will be meeting the schools’ faculty and staff as well as parents and the community at-large to develop a profile of the individuals best suited to serve as the next O’Shea Keleher Elementary and Montwood Middle principals. The profiles established by the school communities will be used to guide the selection process.
Parents and community members are invited to the two meetings:
The O’Shea Keleher Principal Profile Community Meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 27 in the school library, 1800 Leroy Bonse Dr.
The Montwood Middle Principal Profile Community Meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 28 in the Montwood Middle School library, 11710 Pebble Hills Blvd.
