Principals' Corner

Principal, Anne Darnton

New Mexico has been my home for over twenty years now. I was raised in Michigan, Canada, and Illinois, and it would be hard for me to withstand a 'real' northern winter after enjoying so many beautiful and sunny New Mexico winters! I attended public school K-12 and then went to Williams College, where I received my bachelor's degree in literary studies and French. After college, while in the process of applying to graduate programs in comparative literature, I took a position as an educational assistant at a K-8 school in Evanston, Illinois. Through my work there, I experienced the joys and the challenges of being part of a public school community as a staff member, and I began to rethink my graduate school path. In the end, I changed course and completed my Master's in Education at Boston University, with a concentration in elementary and special education. My teaching career has been in both general and special education, at the elementary and middle school levels, at public and private schools in New Mexico (Chama, Los Alamos, Santa Fe) and Idaho (Sun Valley). While teaching in Santa Fe, I had the opportunity to be part of the Educational Leadership Intern Program at the University of New Mexico and received my Education Specialist degree in educational administration there. Prior to my time at El Dorado, I was assistant principal and principal at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, and I also served as an assistant principal at Agua Fria Elementary School. I have worked as a program support specialist in the Special Education Department and as a grant project manager in the Curriculum Department. It has been an honor to be part of the El Dorado Community School team for the past eight school years. Being a principal here is one of the most exciting and meaningful roles I have ever had in education. I get to know, support, learn from, learn with, and care about wonderful and amazing students, staff, parents, and community members. I am humbled by the dedication, passion, and creativity of the many different people I work with, and that inspires me in my own work.

Assistant Principal, Karen Lindeen

I grew up in rural Maryland, spending a vast amount of my childhood playing in the forest and catching fireflies. As an undergrad student, I studied wetland ecology and biological sciences at the University of Maryland, Salisbury State. After earning my Bachelor’s degree in Biology, I worked as an outdoor educator and camp counselor for many years on and off. I quickly realized that although it was challenging work to be with hundreds of kids at a time, it was personally rewarding work at the end of the day. I attended the University of Maryland, College Park, to earn a Masters in Education. My first experience in teaching was instructing high school science at Oakland Mills public school in Columbia, Md. Having lived 29 years in Maryland, I was ready for an adventure and moved to Santa Fe, NM, met my husband, fell in love with the high desert, and have never left. I continued teaching science and simultaneously took on the Head of Middle School position with Desert Academy. I then pursued my Educational Specialist degree with University of New Mexico and earned an Ed.S. and an administrative license. In 2012 I co-founded the May Center for Learning, a school and resource for kids with learning differences. I believe that as educators we should honor learning differences, bringing up weaknesses through accessing student strengths. I have presented on Executive Function and Mindfulness at various conferences and community forums in New Mexico. My passion for education and belief in equitable access to education brought me back to the public schools. I was very fortunate to become part of the El Dorado Community as an assistant principal. Our family is very grateful to be part of this community of progressive and inspiring students, teachers, and leaders.