Assistant Principals Appointed for Five Murrieta Schools

Murrieta Valley Unified School District Superintendent Pat Kelley on Thursday announced the hiring and promotion of several assistant principals for the upcoming school year.

Frances Lopez-Zarate has been promoted and will serve as assistant principal at Antelope Hills Elementary School. Lopez-Zarate has been an educator for 20 years. She came to the district in 2001 and while teaching at Alta she developed and coordinated their learning center and Response to Intervention program. She has also taught English at Murrieta Mesa High School. Lopez-Zarate has two Master of Arts degrees in Special Education from Cal State Dominguez Hills and Educational Leadership from Concordia University. She also holds an administrative credential.

James Curtis has been hired to serve as assistant principal at Buchanan Elementary School. Curtis comes to the district from Menifee School District where he was a seventh grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher for the past nine years. Curtis served as a member of the Hans Christensen Middle School leadership team, head of the Language Arts and Social Studies department and he managed the school's Response to Intervention program.

Curtis has a Master of Arts degree in Administration from National University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego. In addition he holds an administrative credential.

Ted Lyon has been hired to serve as assistant principal at Murrieta Mesa High School. Lyon comes to the district from Orcutt Union School District in Santa Maria, California, where he served as principal of a charter high school since 2008. Previously Lyon served as a vice Principal and teacher in the Santa Maria Bonita School District. He has taught Social Studies and AVID and coached football, basketball, baseball and track. Lyon has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitworth College, a Master of Arts degree from University of La Verne and an administrative credential.

Tom Patane has been hired to serve as assistant principal at Dorothy McElhinney Middle School. Patane has served as a principal and assistant principal in the Corona-Norco Unified School District for the past eight years. He has seven years of teaching experience, including 4 years at Rail Ranch Elementary. Patane has a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts degree from Grand Canyon University. He also holds an administrative credential.

Assistant Principal Andy Banks will move from Antelope Hills Elementary to Monte Vista Elementary. Banks has been in the district for 25 years. He holds a Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Redlands and he has 12 years of elementary teaching experience and 16 years of experience as an administrator. Andy served as an assistant principal at Avaxat and Tovashal and he was principal at Tovashal for two years.

Kelley said, “These administrators bring proven leadership skills and I am confident they will work to provide a successful learning experience for our students.”

—News release submitted by the Murrieta Valley Unified School District