Johna Giordano

My mission in education began at 22 years old directly out of college and with no background in education. I taught at a Title I school Middle school Language Arts, Civics, American History and Drama. The next year, I worked as a team leader and teacher from 2004-2006 before transferring to another school as the 8th grade Team Leader. The subsequent school was a high performing school with a positive school culture and supportive school community. I spent 6 years in that environment and learned how to become a highly effective teacher. The rigor of instruction set expectations for staff, students, and families very high. The school I was at earned the Blue Ribbon Award and many academic accolades. These two opportunities set the stage for an intersection of two worlds to deeply impact my outlook on education. Working with students from high-risk home environments and working at a school with rigorous expectations allowed me to see that both worlds should come together. In 2012, after 9 years of teaching, I became a Curriculum Resource Teacher. I worked from 2012-2014 training, modeling for, and coaching teachers. I completed my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership in 2013. In 2014, I was promoted to Assistant Principal of that school. I worked in this capacity from 2014-2015 before being promoted to Lead Assistant Principal for the 2015-2016 school year. I spent one year as a Lead Assistant Principal before being promoted to "Principal-in-Training" at Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science (HAAS) in 2016. At HAAS, I learned that the school grade regressed to a "B" the previous year. It became my mission to improve the academics at the school. In 2019, I became the principal of HAAS. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated critical pivots with little to no preparation. Innovation, creativity, and resilience defined my first year as principal. My daily goal as a principal is to make HAAS a fun place to work and learn and that keeps me busy.