Magnolia Elementary School Principal Appointment

Magnolia families,

We are pleased to announce that the Board took action this evening to appoint Craig Leach to the position of Principal of Magnolia Elementary School, effective July 1, 2024.

Mr. Leach distinguished himself from a competitive pool of applicants. Mr. Leach is currently the Assistant Principal of Lincoln Middle School in Oceanside, where he has served for the last two years. He previously held the position of District Technology Administrator at Cardiff School District for four years. In this capacity, he not only led the technology department, but also worked with staff to enhance instructional technology practices and maintained the district wide technology infrastructure. Additionally, during that time he served as Co-Principal of Cardiff Virtual Academy. Prior to that, Mr. Leach served as the District Technology and Learning Coordinator for Bonsall Unified School District for three years. During that time, he also served as the Interim Assistant Principal at Bonsall Elementary School. Prior to Bonsall Unified, he served as Technology Integration Coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Education, where he provided consultation and support to forty-two school districts in San Diego County on educational technology initiatives. 

Mr. Leach’s educational career began as a middle and high school teacher, where he taught media, film, and technology courses in Somerville Public Schools in Massachusetts. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from University of Tennessee and a Master’s degree in Education from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His dedication to innovation in education was recognized when he earned the “Innovate Award” from the Classroom of the Future Foundation in 2020. His accomplishments as a district technology administrator included securing and facilitating a $250,000 DoDEA grant, which transformed an elementary school into a STEAM-focused school with a makerspace, one-to-one student chromebooks, hands-on science lab kits, and professional learning aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.

Superintendent Ben Churchill said, “We’re excited to welcome the next innovative, forward-thinking leader to Magnolia Elementary. Mr. Leach is an excellent communicator who leads with vision and heart. He excels at developing relationships and cares deeply about student learning and growth. He will be an outstanding addition to the excellent Magnolia team and community.”