By: Anneliese Medrano On February 13th, an email was sent out to parents by Yvonne Garcia, the middle school superintendent. The email stated that JMMS’ principal Jane Sichler was placed on paid administrative leave for personnel reasons. Ms. Garcia chose Michelle Vela as the Interim Principal to step in during Mrs. Sichler’s absence. Michelle Vela started out as a Special Education teacher and continued that for 15 years. Mrs. Vela was an Assistant Principal for ten years total. She started out as an assistant principal for Harrison Middle School and worked there for two years. She then went on to Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School and worked there for about eight years, before taking the job here at James Monroe. She would like parents to know that she wants to make James Monroe a better place for students to learn and that, so far, everyone at the school, as well as the parents, have been very warm and inviting. Mrs. Vela said there were so many things she liked about James Monroe, that she just couldn’t choose a favorite. “There are so many things! The campus is very nice and appealing to the eye. The students are polite and well mannered. They have also been very welcoming. I love that the teachers are hard workers who always have the students’ best interests in mind; they are very kid-centered.” Mrs. Vela went on to say that she hopes to be able to continue as principal at James Monroe and to be able to make a difference. | Interim Principal Michelle Vela |