Principal of Tom Glenn High School[/caption]Arturo Lomeli said he chose to work in Leander ISD not only because of its good reputation, but also because the opportunity allowed him the potential to contribute to and shape the community culture.
LISD announced Lomeli as Tom Glenn High School’s principal on Nov. 18 and in December, he moved his family from Oregon to Leander. TGHS opens in August. He began his career in education as a sixth-grade teacher before entering into school administration. Lomeli has worked in many administrative positions in Oregon and California, including as a high school and middle school principal, a high school assistant principal and as a dean of a middle school.
Lomeli graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor of Science degree and received his master’s degree from George Fox University in Oregon.
Why did you choose Leander ISD?
[In addition to] the amazing reputation that [LISD] has had, I wanted to go to a place where I feel like I could offer some new ideas and it be embraced. When I saw the concept of the high school … it was different. It was a different design, a different concept. They were trying to stretch themselves as a district, which I appreciated. I said, ‘OK if they are willing to stretch themselves with the physical space, then they are willing to accept new ideas.’ … I felt like I would be able to have some freedom to innovate.
What I loved about the district is [that] they have high expectations for the arts, athletics, and they … truly mean what they say about family first.
What is the importance of collaborative workspace?
It’s transforming. It’s the way that we work now in our society and in our world. The world has gotten much smaller with technology, so you have to help students build the skills to communicate, to collaborate, to problem-solve around at the table—to tackle a word problem in math but [also] a larger social problem by communicating and finding out where people are coming from. Collaborative spaces throughout campus—it’s reflective in the design, it’s reflective in our values and structures, and it’s a critical skill.
[For children who are shy or introverted], we can do the traditional environment, too. When a teacher is in a classroom and they’ve given direct instruction and they group kids [together] and some kids are going outside, there are some kids that [may] stay in the classroom with the teacher to get some one-on-one help. Or they might be a little more introverted and shy, and a teacher may notice that and not send them outside just yet. They gradually release them to that.
It’s all about personalizing the experience for the kids [and] creating that ownership of learning.
Our challenge is not just to use the technology to replace a typewriter or a keyboard [for example], but to transform the learning. We’ll talk a lot about blending online learning with the brick-and-mortar classroom and really transform the use of technology instead of using it as a replacement. That’s part of our journey.
What is TGHS trying to accomplish with the collegiate campus design?
It’s important for all of our students to see themselves as college- and career- ready. Before, it used to be college or career. You’re either on the four-year university track, or you’re going to the military, or culinary or this other track. The reality is that our students when they leave us go to the military and then go to college [for example]. They go to college and then become a chef, [for example]. It’s both. You have to prepare them for both and be exposed to both. This building, with the way its designed … and having programs intermingle really speaks to that.
That’s our job, and I think this building really supports that.
Why did you want to become an educator?
My parents both did not graduate from college. My dad did not graduate from high school. Yet my brother, sister and I are all educators. I think that comes from my parents, who were [public] servants … they help people. They always taught us to care for people. I feel like my parents and my grandparents were educators even though they didn’t have degrees in education.
What I love and is the most challenging for me is leadership. … I love when students are excited about learning. I love it when staff feels supported and inspired and willing to do whatever it takes for kids. I love it when our community and parents feel part of something bigger. … We have the potential to really dictate what this community feels like for the next 100 years. I want new people to the area who don’t have kids in the high school, who may never have kids in the high school, still feel connected and come to performances. … I want [them] to feel ownership and pride for this school.
