Ricardo Iñiguez Named AWSP Assistant Principal of the Year

Ricardo Iñiguez is the Washington State 2017 Assistant Principal of the Year. The award is given by the Washington Association of Secondary School Principals, a governing board of the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). Iñiguez was selected after a statewide open nomination process.
 
“Ricardo, in conjunction with his PBIS [Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports] implementation team, has created positive recognition systems that have students recognizing staff, students recognizing students, and staff recognizing students for the positive things that happen in our building,” says Wenatchee High School Principal Eric Anderson, who nominated Iñiguez. “We saw our attendance rates increase, our out-of-school consequences decrease, and our number of students passing classes increase.”
 
In his ten years at Wenatchee High School, Iñiguez has shown great dedication to kids and community, Anderson said in his nomination.
 
“I’ve been very fortunate in being recognized as the assistant principal of the year for Washington State,” said Iñiguez. “I’m grateful. Thanks to Eric Anderson for nominating me and AWSP for honoring me with their selection.”
 
Before serving as Wenatchee High School’s Associate Principal, Iñiguez taught at-risk youth in the Bethel School District. Wanting to broaden his impact on students and education, Iñiguez pursued administration. He’s chaired the Hispanic Latino Legislative Organization and was appointed by former Governor Christine Gregoire to the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee.
 
“I wanted to be a role model for all students. I’m a role model for everybody first and foremost, but I’m Latino as well. I think there aren’t enough Latino role models in education, not only in teaching but also in administration,” said Iñiguez. 
 
Ricardo’s parents were migrant farm workers with very little education, yet they instilled a passion for learning in Ricardo and his seven brother and three sisters, all of whom graduated from college. The eleven siblings have collaborated with Eastern Washington University and Central Washington University to establish the first Latino Scholarship Endowment at each University. 
 
“I also believe that being recognized is a reminder of where I have been, and at the same time, how much farther I need to go. With recognition comes responsibility, and that’s okay,” says Iñiguez. “Finally, special thanks to my wife Maria for her unwavering support and my son Noah who reminds me that I have so much to be grateful for.”
 
Iñiguez will be honored for his accomplishments at the June 2017 AWSP/WASA Summer Conference in Spokane, and recognized nationally at the 2017 National Principals Conference in Philadelphia with the other State Assistant Principals of the Year.