ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) — An Arlington County Public Schools principal is receiving national recognition.
Carlos Ramirez, Principal at Randolph Elementary School, was named ‘Principal of the Year’ by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, a national organization that works to cultivate Latino leadership in schools while serving the educational needs of Latino youth.
“I could not believe it,” Ramirez said. “For a moment I thought, is this a prank?”
Ramirez gained his love for learning from his parents.
“Education was the most important thing. My mom and dad, we didn’t have a lot of luxuries,” he said.
He gained his love for teaching from his childhood teachers.
“I remember there were teachers who made a huge impact on me and who I ended up loving,” he explained. “I always remembered thinking ‘how do they teach? How do they make everything comprehensible so others can learn?’”
Ramirez began his teaching career in his home country of Venezuela, where he first attended the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador – Instituto Pedagógico de Caracas, Venezuela. He later had an opportunity to further his education in the United States at Greensboro College in North Carolina.
Ramirez stayed in North Carolina, teaching. He later moved to Arlington where he landed a gig teaching science in Spanish and working as a dual-language teacher at Claremont Immersion Elementary School.
Teaching in Spanish was a vital opportunity for both his students and himself.
“For students coming from other countries, leaving their cultures behind – it helps them reconnect with their cultures here,” Ramirez said. “Always reconnecting with who you are, with your ancestry, with your heritage is so powerful.”
After teaching for nearly 20 years, Ramirez had a desire to expand his impact and decided to move into school administration.
“I just want to impact more than 25 students at a time, I want to impact a lot of lives, I want to make sure I make decisions that will create a path for success for students,” he said, “I put myself out there, became an assistant principal (at Claremont). Three years later, put myself out there again, and became a principal at Randolph.”
Through this career change, the desire to continue sharing his Hispanic heritage was extremely important to him.
“To me it was always very important to be able to have an impact on my school community and my student population. A school like Randolph that is so diverse, we have 60% Spanish speaking students,” he explained.
He knew the fit was right. Seven years on the job and he still feels that way.
“To me, I said ‘this is it, this is a great community for me to serve and also make an impact on’ because if we are able to help everybody understand each other, learn each other and celebrate each other’s uniqueness then we’re doing the right thing,” said Ramirez.
This outlook on teaching and his love for his school community is what landed him the recognition as ALAS Principal of the Year.
In a post on X, the organization wrote, “Carlos is principal of Randolph Elementary School, an IB World School in Arlington, VA. He was selected for his servant leadership style, his tireless work for students, and his care and concern for staff.”
Ramirez said the honor has been humbling.
“Recognitions are great but that daily work is what really matters,” he said.
He’s hopeful his accomplishments over the years can help inspire his students.
“I just hope they are able to take away the love for reading, the love for math, the love for learning. The consistency of being here every day, the consistency of arriving early, staying until the end. The kindness I portray every single day, welcoming them to school every day, with that smile always sending positive messages to them,” he said.
Ramirez will be honored at the ALAS National Education Summit in October.
