San Tan Elementary School
Principal
Ray Mercado
San Tan Elementary School
Dear San Tan Elementary Families,
Welcome to the 2024-2025 academic year at San Tan! I have had the privilege to serve as the principal for eleven years. I am a proud principal who has seen amazing work in and out of the classroom with our students, staff, and community. San Tan is a Lighthouse Leader in Me School! The students, staff, families, business partners and the community had an instrumental role over the years in supporting San Tan to achieve this recognition. The Leader in Me framework is embedded in all we do and we are a model school for all visitors to experience how we utilize the 8 Habits of Highly Effective People at our school.
The Leader in Me is Franklin Covey's whole school transformation process. It teaches 21st century leadership and life skills to students and creates a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader. We believe common language across our K-6 system will make us an even better school. We have so many great students, families, and staff members that are committed to growing every day to make San Tan Elementary the best school to learn and teach in Arizona. If you are interested in more information about this exciting journey, feel free to visit www.theleaderinme.org.
Welcome to the 2024-2025 academic year at San Tan! I have had the privilege to serve as the principal for eleven years. I am a proud principal who has seen amazing work in and out of the classroom with our students, staff, and community. San Tan is a Lighthouse Leader in Me School! The students, staff, families, business partners and the community had an instrumental role over the years in supporting San Tan to achieve this recognition. The Leader in Me framework is embedded in all we do and we are a model school for all visitors to experience how we utilize the 8 Habits of Highly Effective People at our school.
The Leader in Me is Franklin Covey's whole school transformation process. It teaches 21st century leadership and life skills to students and creates a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader. We believe common language across our K-6 system will make us an even better school. We have so many great students, families, and staff members that are committed to growing every day to make San Tan Elementary the best school to learn and teach in Arizona. If you are interested in more information about this exciting journey, feel free to visit www.theleaderinme.org.
Our school mission is to Unite, Learn, Lead, and Inspire. We believe with your support and partnership, anything is possible. Our PTO and Site Council are dedicated to provide opportunities and resources for our students, staff, and families to be engaged with our programs and services. We hope this year you will be involved in some aspect of our school to enhance the programs and services for our children. Together we can make San Tan Elementary the best experience for ALL children. Thank you for choosing San Tan Elementary as your home school!
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Ray Mercado
Principal
Lighthouse Leader in Me School
ray.mercado@husd.org
ray.mercado@husd.org
Principal Spotlight
What is your education background?
Graduated from the University of Arizona & the University of Phoenix with my MA in Educational Leadership.
What are some of your key priorities as principal?
Creating a learning environment that all students and staff can grow and thrive.
Is there a program or initiative at your school you are particularly proud of?
Being recognized as Leader in Me Lighthouse School by the Franklin Covey Foundation. The students, staff, and community have worked hard to continue this effort on our campus.
What is your philosophy when it comes to working with parents and students?
The team (staff & parents) much work together to support the whole child. All students have the ability to learn and grow.
How has the previous bond/override investments helped your school?
The passing of a bond/override has helped us maintain our facility for the community, decrease class size, and increase staffing.
How do you emphasize character as part of the overall education being offered?
At San Tan, we do this all day with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People framework in and out of the classroom. We are all leaders at San Tan!
What is one thing that stands out to you about the Higley Unified School District?
Higley still has the small town experience that makes us special because we don't get lost in numbers like you do in large districts.
What is one thing you wish more members of the community knew about your school?
Staff and students work hard on a daily basis to learn and grow. We do need more support from our community with the passing of bonds/overrides because our students are our future and we need to give them the absolute best educational experience and not just a bare minimum experience.
How has your school embraced Higley Unified Strategic Plan specifically the #higleyhelps challenge?
At San Tan, each grade level will support a non-profit once during the school year. Receiving is great, but we want our students to experience giving back to our community that gives so much to us.