Meet Your New Principal: Hendrick Ranch Principal Joan Warburg Aims to Foster Excellence

Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD)’s Hendrick Ranch Elementary this August welcomed its newest principal to the ranks, and she’s got her eye on continuing the school’s dedication to academic excellence. Joan Warburg said her main goal is to bring the school’s teachers, staff, parents and community businesses together for the good of the students. “I want to see us all come together as a community in the best interest of our students,” Warburg said. “I want to make this school really a hub of the community.” A large part of that is continuing to foster the school’s existing parent groups, like the Parent-Teacher Association, the English Learner Advisory Committee and the African American Advisory Council, she said. Warburg began her career in education while in college, after spending time there giving instruction to a special education class. Her mother is a retired principal and Warburg admitted that she did not originally see herself going into teaching, but after her experiences in college, she “realized I loved working with kids,” she said. Warburg originally had plans to become a pediatrician, harking back to her life-long dream of making a difference in children’s lives. “I wanted to make a lasting impact in kids’ lives, but I realized that teaching is where I could do that,” she said. She attended the University of California at Riverside in the biomedical program for two years before attending Biola University for two years and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on elementary education. She then attended California State University, Los Angeles, where she received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on mathematics. She also received her teaching credential from CSULA. After graduating she worked for two years at a private school before she was hired by the Azusa Unified School District, where she taught for three years. For the last 25 years, she has worked in the MVUSD teaching mostly 2nd through 5th grade students. She worked as a math coach and as an academic coach at Sunnymead Elementary School. Two years ago, she worked as the Assistant Administrator of Instructional Improvement and Academic Coaching at MVUSD’s Armada Elementary School. She also spent 13 years at Hidden Springs Elementary prior to her work at Sunnymead Elementary, and even worked at Hendrick Ranch Elementary as a teacher 20 years ago before she was hired at Hidden Springs Elementary. In all, she has 30 years experience in the field of education. It wasn’t until her work as an administrator at Armada Elementary School that she realized she was interested in educational administration. “Teachers can make a profound difference in their class and even in their grade level, but as an administrator, you have the opportunity to affect change and create a place of good for the students. You can make a difference in all the kids’ lives because you can lead the staff, parents and kids and make a global impact.” She said she’s still getting a feel for the school’s culture, but she says overall her welcome has been a positive one. “I have an absolutely wonderful staff. I came into a school that had good leadership prior to me, and the staff is really dedicated to the students. They really care about these kids and are looking out for the best interests of the kids.” She says the students themselves are impressive, too. “They are well behaved, and they enjoy learning. Respect is modeled from staff member to staff member, staff member to student and student to staff member.” She is proud of the existing programs the elementary school is operating; some Warburg says no other elementary school offers. She referenced Hendrick’s Girls Love Math Club, its photography club, its ballet folklórico club, its studio club and its choir, which all offer a variety of extracurricular activities and learning opportunities to the students. Hendrick Ranch is also operating for the second year in a row on Project Moving Forward, a federally funded grant that aims to expand student vocabulary to ensure the college and work force readiness of its students at a young age. Hendrick Ranch collaborated with Armada Elementary School on this grant last year, and Warburg was able to create relationships due to her past teaching experience at Armada. “The staff here wants to become a Project Moving Forward Demonstration School,” Warburg said. “We truly believe one of the most important factors for student achievement is building a strong vocabulary that will help them to be college and career ready, and be ready for middle school, to graduate from high school and to go on to college.” She said she views elementary school as the foundation of a child’s life, and feels the values and habits instilled in the children at this age should be strong. In her spare time, Warburg enjoys a variety of activities, including photography, traveling to visit national parks and other wilderness spaces, gardening and scrap-booking. She is married to her husband, Tim. They have raised two foster children, Mary and Kalette, who are now grown and have children of their own. They also have three birth children, Christina, Stephen and Paul, and four granddaughters.