Almond Acres Charter Academy (AACA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jeff Cadwallader as our next Executive Director. Mr. Cadwallader has been a member of our community for one year, helping with the completion of our new school site and the transition from temporary sites into our new building. He is a father of 3 (his youngest will join our AACA kindergarten next year!), loves math, and is looking forward to getting to know the awesome community of Almond Acres.
What are you most looking forward to as Executive Director?
As the new Executive Director, I am most looking forward to building relationships with the staff, students, and families. So much of my role over the past year has been focused on safety and facilities, I have not had the opportunity to really connect with the people that make Almond Acres so special. During these first few weeks as I transition into my new role, I am meeting individually with every staff member to get to know them and their vision for the future of AACA. We are starting to have more events on campus which will give me the opportunity to meet more of our amazing families.
What led you to Almond Acres?
I was led to Almond Acres by meeting many families and community members that have a connection to the school. Everyone has such great things to say about the school and its philosophy. I started doing some research and asking questions and learned that the school philosophy mirrors my personal philosophy, which is that every child can succeed, but success looks different for every child. What makes this school special is we actively seek out those successful areas in each individual child and celebrate them, but we also look for the areas of struggle and strive for growth.
When did you know you wanted to work in education?
I always enjoyed helping other students out during school. During college, I tutored my teammates in a variety of subjects. A few years after college I had no direction in my career path and had a long conversation with a close friend that had just completed her first year of teaching. After this conversation I started researching what it would take to become a teacher. After my first year in the classroom I was hooked and knew this was going to be my life long career.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher was Ms. Habas, my Probability and Statistics teacher during my senior year of high school. She made learning new concepts easy and fun. She is the reason I decided to get a math degree and I modeled many of my teaching practices after her.
How does your AACA’s mission and vision align with your personal values?
I believe that all students can learn and excel when given the opportunity and tools necessary to be successful. At Almond Acres, we teach the child, not the subject. We meet each individual student on their level and grow the whole child, heart, mind, body, and spirit.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to go camping, golfing, and to the beach. I also enjoy spending much of my free time coaching my 3 children in a variety of sports.
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Located in Paso Robles in a newly built, state-of-the-art facility, AACA is open to all students from all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
