Granger Junior High and Otay Ranch Leaders Honored
Two Sweetwater District principals, Mary Rose Peralta of Granger Junior High and Jose Brosz of Otay Ranch High, have been named 2012 Administrators of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators.
Each year, a handful of educators are honored for outstanding job performance based on their experience, demonstrated leadership and success in promoting student achievement.
"Both Mary Rose Peralta and Jose Brosz are standout school leaders who are making a difference in children's lives every day," said Dr. Edward Brand, superintendent. "They each have channeled their passion and vision to create dynamic school environments where students are challenged to achieve their potential."
Jose Brosz joined the Sweetwater District 25 years ago. In 2003, he opened the new Otay Ranch High School as principal, bringing together a top flight faculty. Over the past three years, Otay Ranch High has gained 96 points on the Academic Performance Index to achieve a score of 824, exceeding the state target of 800.
Having demonstrated expertise in instruction, discipline, parent communication and staff development, Brosz' has become a strong role model. He has mentored no less than 12 aspiring administrators who have since transitioned from assistant principal to principal. He helps his protégés monitor the effectiveness of teaching through classroom observation, to assess individual teachers as well as the school's capacity to reach academic goals.
Ms. Peralta became principal at Granger Junior High in 2008 after serving as Coordinator of Academic Support for the district and as assistant principal in several Sweetwater schools.
At Granger, she's been credited for driving the school's rising student achievement and earning the school numerous awards. In recognition of narrowing the achievement gap and meeting state and federal academic benchmarks, Granger was named a state and "National Schools to Watch--Taking Center Stage Model Middle School" in 2010 and a Star Honor Roll School by the California Business for Excellence in Education last year.
Although Granger serve a high-needs student population--more than one in four students are English language learners and almost 80% qualify for the national free/reduced school lunch program--Ms. Peralta has cemented the vision that every child can succeed.