New Principal Appointed At Las Animas Elementary School

From the Gilroy Unified School District:

Posted on Jan. 24, 2020

Gilroy, CA-- The Gilroy Unified School District is pleased to announce that at the January 16, 2020 Board Meeting, the GUSD Board of Education approved the appointment of Mrs. Velia Codiga as the new principal at Las Animas Elementary School, beginning with the 2020-21 school year. Mrs. Codiga has been the principal at Antonio Del Buono Elementary School since 2006.

She began her career in the Gilroy Unified School District in 1994 as a student teacher. She has filled positions at several elementary schools in the district in the roles of bilingual teacher, classroom teacher, Migrant Ed support teacher and Literacy and English Language Learners (ELL) Site Leader.

Mrs. Codiga is a strong instructional leader who works diligently to involve her staff in important decisions for the school. Antonio Del Buono Elementary School has one of the lowest staff turnover rates in our District, which is a direct result of her collaborative leadership style. She values parent involvement and is involved with both the Home and School Club (HSC) and the English Language Learner Committee (ELAC). She is a leader among elementary principals in the implementation of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) program.

Velia is very committed to the success of several special programs at her site, including: special day classes, Transitional Kindergarten, and the Power School after school program. Velia was recently honored by the Mt. Madonna YMCA as a Youth Development Hero for her work with the after school and special ed programs at ADB. The District will move the special day population from the Antonio Del Buono campus to the Las Animas campus beginning with the 2020-21 school year, because the ADB campus will close in June 2020.

This press release was produced by the Gilroy Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.