Rodel Principal Award

Led by Alicia Alvarez, Alta Vista High School educates 450 students in grades 9-12 in Tucson, Arizona. Their mission is to provide each student a diverse education in a safe and supportive environment that promotes respect, self-discipline, creativity, academic excellence and service to the community. Alta Vista is managed by The Leona Group and authorized by the American Charter Schools Foundation. Their school leader, Alicia Alvarez was nominated and selected as a 2015 Rodel Exemplary Principal.
“I didn't just want to become a principal, I wanted to become a principal at a high school where I could work with students who lived in a community with high poverty rates, where parents might not have had many educational opportunities, and where I could instill hope in the lives of young adults. I wanted to work with the ‘at-risk of not graduating population,’” Alvarez said.
“WHY? Because I know the power ONE caring adult who inspires hope and doesn't destroy dreams can have on a teen. And I know that as a principal I have the ability to surround those students with many adults who share my vision.”