Del Norte High School alumni Angelo Gonzales, Executive Director of SWIFT Community Schools, plays a crucial role in providing leadership development and technical assistance to community school practitioners across New Mexico.
A community school is a model aimed at transforming public education by involving the entire school community, including students, families, educators, and community members, in providing targeted support and resources to students. These resources range from healthcare access to after-school programs, aiming to address barriers to learning, particularly in marginalized communities.
Angelo recently wrote an Opinion piece for the Albuquerque Journal – OPINION: Community schools offer opportunity to reimagine public education where he highlighted Tatiana Del Toro-Frank, the community school coordinator at MacArthur Elementary in Las Cruces. She represented the critical role of community schools at the President’s State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, highlighting their importance in supporting academic success, healthy development, and social-emotional well-being of students statewide. Overall, Angelo stressed that community schools represent a significant opportunity for reimagining public education in New Mexico, with a focus on inclusivity, shared decision-making, and holistic support for students and families.
Del Norte High School is a Community School with a Community School Council, a site-based leadership team that often includes school personnel, parents, students, nonprofit organizations, elected officials, health partners, local businesses, and sometimes faith-based organizations that assess and make decisions about community needs. The AlumKnights are represented on the DNHS Community School Council by Carlos Romero and Angelo Gonzales.