Dear DelCampo Parents and Staff,
Coming in this year as the new Superintendent to DCS & DCA, I wanted to drop you all a note to respectfully introduce myself to the community. It is important that you have a good understanding of who I am, my work experience, and my philosophy regarding working with children and families and staff in an international school setting.
Coming into DCS and DCA as the new Superintendent, I believe it is important that you know a little more about me, my family, my work style, and my passion for education. I am from Canada but have strong roots in Latin America. I have been heavily involved in the international school circuit for over 33 years. I began my career in Colombia at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, a school recognized by International Organizations as a School of Excellence, as well as the Columbus School in Medellin and the Bolivar in Cali all three Schools top in the Latin American region. I have also served in education in many other countries, including Canada, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Montenegro, and England, just to name a few. These experiences have had such a positive impact on my life and career ambitions that I continue to strive to get better at my craft. I began as a psychologist, teacher, and reading specialist and studied Educational Leadership at Harvard. I consider myself a lifelong learner. I am presently at Boston School International and IB World School in Panama. I am very excited about serving you as the new Superintendent of DelCampo School. I will continue and maintain programs and bring in new real-world innovative and creative opportunities for all students from Toddlers through 12th grade.
I should also mention that while overseas, my husband and I were blessed with two wonderful children. They were born in Chile and are our treasures. They traveled the world with my husband and I and attended the international school where I was working, and both graduated academically ready, globally aware, bilingual, and strong confident young adults. Our son is a biologist who lives in Canada and is furthering his studies. Our daughter Nicole graduated in Animation and Design and has continued pursuing her career as an educator. My husband is an Agriculture Engineer and is excited about moving to Honduras.
As for my philosophy pertaining to school and education, I am passionate and excited by my chosen career and profession. As a classroom teacher, I cared a great deal for my students' intellectual and emotional well-being. Each day I held out many exciting options and choices for the children. Students had meaningful intellectual exploration and a variety of challenges along with a great attitude toward learning. I tried to create a community of learners where students' interests were the centerpieces of the curriculum. This is the same belief I carry when leading teachers.
Teachers and students need to be inquirers. Students no longer need to focus only on content memorization; it is about conceptual understanding and metacognition. For this to be developed, you need strong professional development and accountability. We need to keep a laser-sharp focus on student data and have clarity on what the research like that of Dr. Hattie on effect size has on the learning. It is important that we take all the research and make it visible in our teaching and, more importantly, in student learning.
In previous positions as well as my current position as a School Superintendent, I have been an element used to implement, construct, and build community.
You will be able to see my uncompromising view that all students can learn when we create a community that is based on the mutual respect of all its stakeholders. It is crucial to have open communication between all members of the community. I am committed to my job and am excited to work with an administration team dedicated to promoting the success of all students and community members. I am a firm believer that for us to be successful in schools today, we must educate kids and prepare them not only to be good in school but to do well in life, and this requires all of us to practice those skills.
I know you are going to have more questions. I will be planning small “meet and greets” at the beginning of our school year to clarify any doubts or thoughts that may be on your mind. I have had an opportunity to get to know our wonderful principals and want to thank them for their generosity and kindness in sharing the “DelCampo Way.” I genuinely believe that we can build a strong partnership between the school and home with good communication.
Warmest,
Gloria Lorza
Superintendent