Karen Reynolds
Position: Principal
School: Short Avenue Elementary School
School District: Los Angeles Unified School District
City, State: Los Angeles/Mar Vista, CA
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Karen Reynolds was nominated by her colleague, Diane Shigekawa.
Ms. Reynolds has been the principal at Short Avenue Elementary School for a little over a year. Within that time, she has changed the school climate, efficiency, morale, student behavior, enthusiasm, parent involvement, positivity, and teacher motivation. She has set a great example for students, parents, and staff through her dedication, personal sacrifice, enthusiasm, and involvement for all things school-related. Ms. Reynolds cares about the school and surrounding community, which has been infectious!
Ms. Reynolds is a very competent principal and we can all see what she has brought to the table for the Short Avenue students. Among technology programs, sports, arts, leadership and incentive, everything she is doing is taking Short to a whole new level. But besides being good at what she does, Ms. Reynolds is a very genuine, caring and loving person. She really makes a positive, life changing impact on the kids and parents.
Mrs. Reynolds is AMAZING. Before she came, out school was a nice little school with no leader and little direction. She came in and turned this place around! Now there’s parents involved and coming to Coffee with the Principal, and the school feels like a happy learning community. The kids are s excited to see her at the gate every morning!
It makes me tear up to think how much my family has benefited from this wonderful woman’s leadership. She is the BEST.
I remember two years ago, before Ms.Reynolds came to our school, our school was bad-kids were leaving the school, there was a lot of misbehaving, there was no sports equipment, and everything was chaotic.Then Ms.Reynolds came along and rose Short Avenue to become a wonderful school. She made it her duty to help each and every student and parent to make, what our school has become now, a possibility. She did so much for our school and feel she deserves that award. She is the most kind, respectful, joyful, enthusiastic, generous, active, optimistic, and the most incredible person you will ever meet. Im sure that she knows the name of each and every student in our school. She stands at the gate and waves and greets the kids when they come to school. It is just so wonderful and a kind gestures. She just takes the time in the morning just to do so. That is why I truly believe that Ms. Reynolds deserves the award.
Ms. Reynolds is an amazing principal, very efficient, pro active, optimistic and above all she is an ibcreadble person, with a great heart, generous, happy, always caring for our kids! Ms. Reynolds made a huge change at Short Avenue Elementary School, I am sure that all the students will carry her in their hearts!
I am new to the Short Elementary School staff, teaching Kindergarten this school year. I have had an amazing experience so far and this undoubtedly has to do with the kind and positive school culture set forth by Ms. Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds is an amazing leader. She is caring, dedicated, and a great role model to the students, parents, and staff. Ms. Reynolds truly deserves this award!
Karen IS a life changer! She has brought much needed technology programs to the curriculum and added many new opportunities for creative learning. She has set in motion initiatives that will improve and enhance our school for years to come. Through her hard work we have increased attendance, parent involvement and elevated the profile of our school in the community. She has a passion for our school and community. This positive energy has rippled through our student body, teaching, admin staff and parent group. We consider ourselves extremely lucky and grateful to have Karen as our principal and leader. She has changed the life of our school and everyone in it.
I am a parent of short ave amd an Lausd employee! I am touched by the way Mrs Reynolds deals with our children! She is fair and compassionate! She goes above and beyond each day to assure that our kids are safe and receive a great education! I am grateful to have found this little gem (short ave.) Mrs Reynolds deserves this and more! Our kids are happy here and that all that matters to me! I have spoken to kids at Westminster Elementary and they all say the most positive and kind things about Mrs Reynolds! Mrs. Reynolds makes a difference everywhere she goes! She is a genuine and kind human being!
Ms. Reynolds embodies the forward thinking that our education system needs to evolve. She has created an environment that other forward thinking educators want to be a part of. This feeling is felt throughout the school and seen in the dedication and loving interactions with our children and their teachers, and by creating a climate for our school that moves us closer to a child centered and experiential way of learning. She shows up big time... I'm pretty sure she knows all of the children by name... greeting them as they arrive to school each day. And lastly, as a leader of our school, she makes her presence known and yet it is clear that she is also learning and co creating with her staff...No hierarchy...Just openess and a strong central vision of creating a loving and respectful culture that our children thrive in.
My family and I are so thankful to have Ms Reynolds as a principal at short ave elementary. She not only welcomes us with love but she also listens to our needs. She knows how to enroll us and create a new possibility and help us as a community to support each other. A few months ago the yard of the PALS program (a program designed to help special needs kids) needed help because they only had a few toys but now that has all changed. Thanks to Ms. Reynolds's support and vision PALS kids now have an amazing playground.
That is why I strongly believe that Ms. Reynolds deserves this award.
This is my daughters first year at Short elementary and to say we are thrilled to have Ms. Reynolds as the principal is an understatement. We are over the moon about Ms. Reynolds and the work she is doing at Short. She is caring and is so involved in everything at the school. She is always so pleasant in the morning and always smiling. She loves the children, parents, staff and the community. She is the reason for so many programs at the school. She recently made it her duty to get girls coding through planet bravo and she personally reached out to us parents to sign our kids up. She is an amazing principal and wonderful individual. She makes being apart of Short so much fun. I don’t think anyone is more deserving of this award.
Ms. Reynolds is an incredible principal and champion of Short Avenue students. Most mornings I am greeted by Ms. Reynolds and other staffers when I drop off my son who is in Kindergarten. I am always amazed at her ability to greet children by name as they arrive. And no matter what she must be facing in the day, she is welcoming, consistent, and an ideal partner in my child's education. It's clear he cares about the students, the school and our community.
