Denton ISD has selected Marlen Velásquez as the next principal of Ginnings Elementary, replacing Caleb Leath, who has been named Denton ISD’s Director of Bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL).
Ms. Velásquez most recently served as the principal of Ponder Elementary for the past two years in Ponder ISD. Prior to Ponder, Ms. Velásquez spent 19 years in Denton ISD, and she now returns to lead the Ginnings Elementary campus with 23 years of experience in public education.
“I am honored to be joining the Denton ISD family again,” Ms. Velásquez said. “It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to serve the Ginnings Elementary community, staff members and students. Being able to lead Ginnings Elementary is a dream come true, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Ms. Velásquez began her career as a bilingual/ESL paraprofessional in Keller ISD in 2000 before joining Denton ISD in 2001.
From 2001-2006, Ms. Velásquez was a bilingual instructional aide at Ann Windle School for Young Children. In 2006, Ms. Velásquez became a first-grade bilingual teacher at W.S. Ryan Elementary. She spent the next eight years at W.S. Ryan in a number of capacities, from second-grade dual bilingual teacher to fourth-grade bilingual teacher.
She was honored by her peers as the W.S. Ryan Teacher of the Year in 2012.
In 2014, Ms. Velásquez moved to Borman Elementary, where she served as a kindergarten bilingual teacher until 2016. From 2016-2020, she served as a bilingual and ESL specialist at Borman, while also serving as an adult education and literacy instructor for Denton ISD.
Ms. Velásquez’s campus leadership experience includes serving as a campus testing coordinator, professional learning community (PLC) development facilitator and kindergarten through fourth grade team lead. She has also studied and adapted curriculum for bilingual teachers and worked closely with bilingual and ESL instructional coaches to ensure student mastery of content.
Ms. Velásquez received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Texas in 2006. She later received her master’s of educational leadership from UNT in 2016.
“We are delighted to welcome back Ms. Velásquez as the principal of Ginnings Elementary,” said Luci Schulz, Area Superintendent of the Ryan High Zone. “Denton ISD is home for Ms. Velasquez, and we are excited for her to return where she began her bilingual education career. Her skills, leadership and passion for students and staff will be a great asset to Ginnings Elementary.”
