Meet the Administration
Meet the Principal
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the principal of Monte Vista and am proud to return to this vibrant community! For the past six years, I have been a K-5 assistant principal in the Kyrene School District, spending four of those years at Monte Vista.
Prior to joining Kyrene, my journey began in the classroom teaching and supporting students. Later, as an instructional coach, I focused on students and teachers, empowering educators to refine their practices to ensure every student received the highest quality of instruction in the areas of reading and math for kindergarten through fifth grades. My positive experiences as a classroom teacher and coach shaped my journey which led to school leadership and administration.
I received my bachelor’s degree in elementary education from The University of Arizona and hold a master’s degree in administrative education. I am an Arizona native and have two daughters. I enjoy spending time with my husband and girls, attending “wildcat” sporting events, reading, and family walks and dinners. These times help me appreciate the importance of community and connections.
As Monte Vista’s principal, I am dedicated to continuing to bring the Monte Vista community together to ensure every child is challenged, engaged, and supported in their learning journey. I am excited to work with you to continue to build and maintain a positive, welcoming school neighborhood. I look forward to working together to ensure our students thrive. Together, we thrive when every child is inspired to succeed, and every educator is supported to excel!
We truly are better together,
Teresa Strickling
Proud Principal, Monte Vista
Teresa Strickling | Principal
Monte Vista Elementary School
Kyrene School District
P: (480) 541- 4400 | E: tstrickling@kyrene.org
Meet the Assistant Principal
My name is Ryan James, and I am very excited to serve as the Assistant Principal at Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary School. As a 3rd generation educator in my family, my passion in education is quite possibly hereditary. My grandmother, who was a special education elementary school teacher, tells stories about my brother, two sisters, and me “playing school” as young children, taking turns teaching each other. This never stopped: In high school my Spanish teacher let me teach our Spanish class. This prepared me to spend a summer teaching community-health initiatives in a rural town in the Dominican Republic. From an early age, I gained an understanding of teaching and leadership.
Throughout college I worked as an AVID tutor in the Tempe Elementary School District, and I also was a program coordinator for Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates at Marcos de Niza High School. I then graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in secondary English education and taught middle school reading and writing at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School and Kyrene Middle School. At KMS, I served for several years as the English Language Arts Department Chair and participated in a wide range of school-wide leadership initiatives.
I then got my Master in Educational Leadership and Principalship from Arizona State University and had the valuable opportunity to serve as the assistant principal at Kyrene de los Lagos Dual Language Academy – one of Kyrene’s English-Spanish dual language programs. At Lagos, I was able to utilize my Spanish fluency to help assist students in their own personal journeys in bilingualism and biliteracy. I then was the assistant principal at Altadena Middle School and Kyrene Traditional Academy. Now, I am very excited to join and support the Monte Vista family!Monte Vista Elementary School