Meet The Principal

I believe all children can grow and learn. We do this best together! As a site administrator, teacher, instructional coach, and intervention specialist in grades K-8, I have worked extensively to serve and support English language learners and students who are in need of intensive literacy instruction and behavioral intervention. As a teacher and instructional coach, I have experience with providing  professional development to support the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, specifically, writing instruction, close reading instruction, small-group reading instruction, reading assessments, and content and language objective planning for English language learners. I have also had the fortunate experience to have worked closely to support middle school students at Lawson Middle School with restorative practices tailored to individual students and (PBIS) positive behavior intervention supports school wide. My work as an Assistant Principal at both Lawson Middle School and Sedgwick Elementary have added to my instructional experience and I am excited to be the instructional leader at Nimitz Elementary. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at pakel_celestina@cusdk8.org, I am excited to meet all my families and to work closely with you to ensure that we are supporting all students to have an amazing and memorable experience at Nimitz Elementary. 

B.A.  Child Development, from San Jose State University, 1995
M.A. Interdisciplinary Education, with a Reading Specialist Credential,  Santa Clara University, 2005
M.A. Educational Leadership, from Santa Clara University, 2015