Following is a letter from Cain Jagodzinski to the resident of Fountain Hills. Jagodzinski will take over as principal of Fountain Hills High School starting July 1:

I am very excited to serve as your principal at Fountain Hills High School. The opportunity to be part of our local school district and help our young people prepare for the colleges and careers of their choice will be very rewarding.

My background in education includes teaching, coaching and administration. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in secondary education with an emphasis on history and biology. I taught science and social studies at both the middle school and high school levels. In addition to teaching, I also served as a high school basketball coach for over a decade.

I attended Arizona State University to earn a Master’s degree in school leadership, and have served as a high school dean of students and middle school assistant principal. I just finished my first year of a doctoral program at Northern Arizona University and will complete the degree requirements in late 2017.

I am amazed by the beautiful campus and I can’t wait to take potential students and families on personal tours of our school. Fountain Hills High School has a long tradition of championship athletic programs, award-winning music and fine arts, and student-driven clubs that support our community. I am excited to build upon these traditions and help establish new ones.

My focus will be on instruction, school climate and building programs that offer our students a world-class, well-rounded education.

Utilizing our professional learning communities model, I will work with our staff as an instructional leader. I will encourage our staff to share best practices and work collaboratively to offer our students engaging, challenging and interesting lessons. Working with students, we will identify what Falcon Pride means to our school and build the framework to ensure that all of us strive to contribute to and participate in a positive school climate.

I plan to bring new academic programs to our school beginning in the 2017-18 school year. The first signature program that we will offer students is the AP Capstone program. This program builds upon the Advanced Placement courses that we already offer, but adds a two-year seminar and research program that culminates with a capstone research project. This highly rigorous program requires a thesis paper and an oral defense, while offering students a distinct AP Capstone diploma that will help them build their university resume.

What I am most excited about is working with our students to ensure that they have a memorable experience at Fountain Hills High School. I will work hard to ensure that we build a positive climate on our campus that encourages our students to take pride in being a Falcon. Our high school will focus on great instruction, student-centered classrooms and rigorous, meaningful work.

Fountain Hills High School will be special because your child will not get lost here. We will know your student for who they are and will work with them to accomplish their goals. Your student will have a staff of adults who will care for them and be there for them throughout their experience at our school. You have my word that I will listen and be available to help guide you and your students through your experiences at Fountain Hills High School.

Let’s get started!