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Teaching has always been in Angela Crawley’s blood: there are photos of her at four years old with all her stuffed animals lined up as she taught them their ABCs and facts about the sun and flowers. During her six years as only the second principal in its history, she navigated Anzar High School through the COVID-19 shutdowns and helped reshape its curriculum, focus and culture.
Resigning this year to spend more time with her family and start her own consulting business, along the way, she was named the Secondary Administrator of the Year for Region 10 by the Association of California School Administrators in 2024.
Crawley’s replacement will be announced at the Aromas San Juan Unified School District regular Board of Trustees meeting at 7 p.m. on May 13 in the Anzar High School library.
According to San Juan Unified School District Superintendent Barbara Dill-Varga, Crawley will “leave a legacy of student support and innovative practices that is going to be hard to match.”
She can be credited with Hawk Academy, for example, “where we’ve provided college-taught courses in partnership with Gavilan, where kids can graduate with at least 12 credit hours of college credit for free and helped define and develop a positive school vision and culture.”
Crawley sat down with BenitoLink for an interview covering the challenges she has faced as principal and the changes she brought to the school.
BenitoLink: What brought you to Anzar?
Angela Crawley: I started the teaching credential and master’s program at Brandman University. I worked as a substitute teacher to pay my way through college. I learned so much from the teachers I worked for; I was always excited to steal their best ideas.
I taught at Woodland High School for one year before I got a job here at Anzar. I taught world history, government, economics, and the GradEx class here for five years. The principal at the time, Charlene McKowen, entrusted me with leadership opportunities during my very first year. I realized I enjoyed that even more than teaching, so I decided to pursue my administrative credential.
When Charlene retired, the staff felt it was vital that the next leader be someone from the inside who knew the school’s culture, especially since she had been the only principal the school had ever had for 25 years. I was only 30 years old and felt like I knew nothing.
When you transitioned into full-time teaching, were there any major surprises?
In a credential program, they teach you to focus on covering the standards. In reality, the most important thing in your classroom is building relationships with students.
I attended a meeting with a senior who was at risk of not graduating as his “trusted adult.” Even though I didn’t think our relationship was extra special, he told me I was the one person who cared about his success. He said that made him want to graduate. That realization—that relationships are why kids come to school—changed everything for me.
What was that transition like from being a teacher to becoming an administrator in 2019?
I did not know what I was getting myself into. I didn’t realize that the majority of my time would be spent managing adults rather than just supporting students. The first week of my first year as principal, a teacher quit on a Friday. I had to find subs for an English class until October. We had water issues that required porta-potties on campus for a week. Then COVID hit, and everything changed.
How did the pandemic and the subsequent shutdown affect your leadership and the school?
Everything went online, and we essentially lost contact with some students. I started doing home visits to make sure they were okay, and that changed who I was as a person and an educator.
I learned so much about where our students come from. Some kids didn’t have running water, others had holes in their roofs, and some were the main supervisors for their younger siblings. It was eye-opening to see the barriers they faced.
It reinforced my belief that you cannot get to the standards if students aren’t mentally ready to learn. We have to greet them with a smile and notice the little things, like a new haircut or a bad day, because that relationship is what opens them up to education.
When we first came back, it felt like absolute chaos. We didn’t have a handle on student discipline. Our goal since then has been to improve school culture.
How has Anzar changed under your leadership?
When I took over, I noticed our college and career indicators were low, and I wanted to attack that. We worked hard to increase access to AP classes, CTE [Career Technical Education] pathways, and the Seal of Biliteracy.
One of the biggest changes was the modification of the GradEx program. Previously, every student had to complete a research paper in every content area—math, science, history, etc.—in addition to their regular work.
Families reported this was a huge barrier to graduation and a reason students were leaving Anzar. We decided to push that research work into the actual content classes so it wasn’t an extra burden, but rather a part of project-based instruction.
You also mentioned adding new vocational pathways. How has that impacted the students?
Our school was always marketed as “college prep for all,” but I felt that not all students want to go to college, and you don’t have to go to college to be successful. We wanted to provide a space for students who want to work with their hands. Now they are in the woodshop, learning to use tools and equipment that were previously missing from our campus. We added CTE pathways in building trades and construction, as well as product innovation and design.
What is the Hawk Academy, and why the focus on dual enrollment?
The governor wants all students to participate in dual enrollment by 2030, and we wanted to provide that during the school day. Three years ago, our guidance counselor, Julie Hicks, was instrumental in making this happen with Gavilan College with an Intro to Psychology class.
The intent of Hawk Academy is to teach high schoolers how to be college students in a supportive environment. We match the Gavilan instructor with an Anzar instructor to help communicate with families and track grades.
It has been a huge success. We’ve had students who didn’t see themselves as college-bound take a class and realize they actually want to go to college. We now offer at least three classes a semester, meaning students can earn nine credits for free, including textbooks. Last year, we had two students graduate from high school and start college as sophomores.
Anzar is a relatively small school. What are the benefits and challenges of that size?
We have 267 students right now, which is lovely because we know every student by name and we know their families. If a student is acting differently, we notice immediately and can call the family to check in.
The downside is that we can’t offer everything a large school like Hollister High can. We don’t have a fancy stadium or lights, and we’ll likely never have a swimming pool. Funding is also a challenge because we are community-funded rather than based on ADA [Average Daily Attendance]. Our small size also makes the master schedule difficult. I can usually only offer one section of each AP class, which locks students into a very rigid schedule.
Are there any other programs that define the Anzar experience?
We have “Intercession,” which started in the ’90s. For two weeks after winter break, students take a single elective all day for eight days. These are classes teachers are passionate about, like yoga, marine biology, metalworking, or rock 101. We have the highest engagement and fewest tardies during this time.
I also brought the AVID [Advancement Via Individual Determination] program here. It’s an elective that helps students—especially first-generation students—with time management, note-taking, and college applications. It builds a family feel over four years, and our current AVID teachers are doing such a great job that we are actually having to turn students away now.
How do you help new students transition into this environment, and how do you prepare them to leave?
Most of our students come from two small feeder schools, San Juan and Aromas, where they might have had the same classmates since preschool. Coming to a high school with eight different teachers and melding two different communities is a huge challenge. We use “Link Crew” on the first day of school, where upperclassmen act as mentors for freshmen in small cohorts to make them feel comfortable.
When it’s time to leave, many seniors panic around February or March because they are afraid of the next step. That’s where the advisor, the GradEx coach, and the counselor come in to wrap them in support. We want them to know we aren’t abandoning them on graduation day. Education is a holistic approach; it’s about ensuring they are mentally and physically ready to pursue their dreams.
After seven years as principal, why have you decided to step down now?
I have a young family; my daughter is four years old. I have poured my heart and soul into this school, which has meant I haven’t been able to spend as much time with my family or participate in my daughter’s school activities as I would like. I’m looking forward to prioritizing them. I’m not retiring entirely. I plan to do some consulting for other principals and school leaders on my own schedule, but my first priority is being there for my family.
What will you miss the most about Anzar?
The people. I’ve grown up here, and I’m going to miss the kids, the community, and the teachers I’ve watched grow up here as well. This community is so unique. It’s a place where communication happens by word of mouth and personal connection. It has been my absolute honor and privilege to serve as this school’s principal.
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