Principal Welcome Message

2017-2018

Dear Shadow Hills High School Families,

Welcome to Shadow Hills High School – A Professional Learning Community built on excellence! It is my pleasure to welcome you to one of the top schools in the Valley. As Shadow Hills High School’s newly appointed principal, I wanted to take this time to say thank you for all your support and encouragement through the selection process. My commitment to our community extends beyond the buildings at SHHS. As a resident of the City of Indio is my duty and obligation to provide the very best education and learning experience we have to offer our community of learners. As your school principal, I am committed to building partnerships with individuals, organizations and agencies that will invest in our efforts to build a world class institution of learning.

As I begin the year in this new role, I am excited to collaborate with our remarkable educators, support staff and parents in fostering a positive and inclusive educational experience for all of our students. Our goal is to educate for excellence by empowering students to become effective communicators, creative, collaborators, critical thinkers and resourceful members of our community.

Our primary responsibility is student learning and offering all students the educational opportunities that will maximize their potential. This responsibility is supported in our school’s vision statement,

“Our vision at Shadow Hills High School is to foster a growth mindset in all of our students, encourage academic achievement, and promote global citizenship. We strive to develop critical thinkers who analyze the questions of today to create solutions for tomorrow.”

Today’s world demands students who think critically. We do this by challenging them in their learning experiences as they work to achieve their dreams by developing a growth mindset and believing in the Power of Yet - which is the mindset of opportunity and possibility.

Within the graduation requirements of the Desert Sands Unified School District, you will find expectations for each student to receive a well-rounded education. This includes a unique combination of rigorous academic standards and achievement in a positive college-going school culture.

The students of Shadow Hills High School are provided with numerous opportunities to be challenged as they learn and grow through honors and advanced placement courses, career academy classes and dual credit college courses. As part of our school’s requirements, students are expected to have four years language arts, mathematics, world languages, science and social studies - four years or more will open a door! Students will also benefit from challenging classes in engineering and computer science, music, drama, studio art and physical education.

Shadow Hills High School has a long tradition of excellence in academics as well as extracurricular and co-curricular activities. One of our greatest strengths is the pride and support from our community, and our parents are critical contributors to the success of our students as evidenced by our athletics and band booster clubs, PTO and dedicated parent volunteers - thank you for all you do!

I welcome your involvement as we partner together to provide the best possible education to the students of Shadow Hills High School community. I encourage you to contact me with your ideas, suggestions and concerns. Go Knights!

In Partnership,

Gabriel P. Fajardo,

Principal

Passion. Persistence. Perseverance.