The administration at three Denton schools will look a lot different when classes resume Tuesday.
The school district announced this week the retirement of Sparks Campus Principal Paige Boroughs, who will be replaced by Calhoun Middle School Principal Anthony Sims. Newton Rayzor Elementary School Principal Carlos Ramirez will replace Sims at Calhoun, and Aleta Atkinson, who retired in 2009 as principal of Pecan Creek Elementary School, has been named acting principal at Newton Rayzor.
District spokeswoman Sharon Cox said officials would begin a search soon for a new principal at Newton Rayzor and anticipate naming someone to the post by the end of this school year.
It is not uncommon for principals to be reassigned, Cox said. Sims, who has a background in alternative education, requested the job at Sparks, and Ramirez, with his background in International Baccalaureate education at Newton Rayzor, was "a perfect fit" for Calhoun, which is also an IB school, Cox said.
"In my experiences with Mr. Sims, he has always been a hard worker, diligent and, most of all, he wants what's best for the kids of Denton," Superintendent Ray Braswell said in a prepared statement. "He has a strong background in working with at-risk students and requested that he be considered for this position. With Calhoun preparing for its IB reauthorization, it's important to have continuity at our IB schools. Mr. Ramirez's experience at the secondary level makes him the perfect administrator for Calhoun." Paige Boroughs
Boroughs has been principal at the Sparks Campus, part of the Denton County Juvenile Detention Center, for 14 years. A library was established during her time there, and for the last four years Sparks has been named a Gold Performance Award recipient by the Texas Education Agency.
"My time here has been absolutely wonderful," Boroughs said. "It's just been a joy to be able to take a child who didn't have a lot of faith in themselves and show them how valuable they are."
She retires this month with plans to return to a profession she received her first certification in - speech pathology - and work in the home health care field.
Boroughs described the individuals at Sparks Campus as her second family, and while it's hard to leave them behind, she said, she feels she's done what she set out to do.
"I leave with wonderful memories, and I'm trusting this place to a wonderful friend, Anthony Sims. I think he's the luckiest man in the school district," Boroughs said. "He's inheriting wonderful teachers and wonderful students. It's a unique campus." Anthony Sims
After 11 years at Calhoun, Sims said, he's moving into a position quite similar to his first in Denton schools in 1992. At that time, he worked with the district's alternative education programs.
"It's kind of like going full circle," he said.
He said he would not want to leave Calhoun other than for the fact that an opportunity was presented that's the next best step in his career. Working with at-risk students is something he's enjoyed doing as an educator, Sims said, and he hopes with his experience he can be a role model to students at the Sparks Campus in helping them on the track to success.
"It has been a great time, a growing experience and I would say a wonderful experience. This school has a lot of tradition and history, and I've been glad to add to that," he said of Calhoun. "I get an opportunity to share that message that I shared with kids at Calhoun to kids that might need it even more. To me it's kind of like a new journey … a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children.
"I'm excited about the possibility that that job brings." Carlos Ramirez
Prior to coming to Denton, Ramirez was a middle school principal and assistant principal and a high school vice principal with the San Francisco school district.
He said he already knows about a third of Calhoun's students because he was their principal at the elementary level at Newton Rayzor.
"I'm very excited about continuing the IB continuum momentum," Ramirez said. "Our ultimate goal is to provide a kid … the opportunity to receive a 100 percent IB experience - and that's rare."
Though Ramirez said he's sad to leave Newton Rayzor, he's looking forward to his new role.
"My time at Newton Rayzor has been a beautiful experience for me personally and for my family, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to learn and grow with this community," Ramirez said. "Calhoun has so many great things going on, and I look forward to working with that community and preparing our children." Aleta Atkinson
During her more than 20-year career with the district, Atkinson has served as principal at Pecan Creek, an assistant principal and principal at Newton Rayzor and a teacher at Ginnings Elementary School. Since retiring in 2010, Atkinson has worked for the district as an interim administrator when needed.
She could not be reached for comment.
BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com.
