Assistant Principal, Bruce-Monroe Elementary School

Principal Alethea Bustillo taught at Bruce-Monroe Elementary School for ten years prior to serving   seven more years as an instructional coach and then the assistant principal. Although her family inspired her to initially pursue a career in education as a teacher, it was the Bruce-Monroe school community that encouraged her to become a school leader.  “The teachers and staff at Bruce-Monroe work so hard for students every day, and I was honored to be the advocate for our dual language program, and help lead the work supporting students to become bilingual and biliterate global citizens.”  For two years as the assistant principal, Bustillo brought a joy factor and instructional expertise that empowered staff and students to cultivate a bilingual collaborative environment.

Principal Bustillo grew up surrounded by educators and realized during her senior of college that she really wanted to teach. Since then, she has been engaged in the ongoing pursuit of learning the best ways to educate students. “Education has been a career where I have an opportunity to learn new things and to use what I learn to positively impact students.” She cites the former principal of Bruce-Monroe, Dr. Marta Palacios, for creating a welcoming bilingual learning community and in developing her into a leader within the school community. With the support of the school community, Bustillo transitioned to the role of Principal this past year.

Principal Bustillo is a hands-on leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the students at Bruce Monroe are successful. “The best part of my job is when I am working in classrooms, seeing students learning and expressing themselves in two languages. I also love sitting down with teachers and analyzing our students’ data to figure what we need to do to support each student and find solutions to complex problems.” Her passion for the school, its programs, community, and families is on display daily in her first year as the principal of Bruce-Monroe!