After a unanimous Board of Directors vote, three Covina-Valley Unified School District sites welcomed three new principals.
Terry Abernathy leads South Hills High School, Nick Garcia steps in at Sierra Vista Middle School and Dr. Leo Magallón takes over at Northview High School for the 2023-24 school year.
They will all start their new positions on July 1 for the 2023-24 school year.
“I cannot wait to begin my journey as principal at South Hills High School and build on its reputation as one of the premier high schools in California,” Abernathy said. “I am committed to building positive relationships and collaborating with all educational partners to continue the traditions and successes that have made South Hills a beacon of excellence in the region.”
During his 27-year career, Abernathy has experience working as teacher, principal and district administrator. He spent the last 17 years at Fontana Unified School District where he served as Director of Secondary Education for nearly three years and followed by 12 years as a principal at Kaiser High School and three years as principal at Tokay Elementary School.
Garcia is an educator with nearly 20 years of experience. Over the last seven years, Garcia has worked as the assistant principal at Giano Intermediate School in Rowland Unified School District.
“I was drawn to Covina-Valley Unified because of the sustained success of their schools, the positive feedback from students and staff, and their commitment to social-emotional wellness,” Garcia said. “My focus is to come in and build strong relationships with staff, students, and parents and work with all stakeholders to advance the goals of the school and District.”
Garcia was named the Association of California School Administrators Region 15 Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year in 2018-19.
Magallón is a leader with more than 12 years of experience in public education and has served as Northview’s assistant principal for the last two school years.
“I look forward to continuing the work with everyone here and to expand on Northview’s strengths,” Dr. Magallón said. “My goal is to highlight the achievements of our students and staff and increase parent and community engagement so that our families feel welcomed at our school.”
Before coming to Northview, he spent 11 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he was a teacher before serving as an intervention and prevention support coordinator at Boyle Heights STEM Magnet High School. Dr. Magallón led the school’s Engineering Design pathway to a Gold Certification from the Linked Learning Alliance as the career technical education pathway lead and work-based learning coordinator.
“All three schools are poised for success for years to come with their new leaders, and we are thrilled to welcome these outstanding principals to the Covina-Valley Unified team,” Superintendent Elizabeth Eminhizer said in a statement. “We are excited for the excellence that these new principals will bring to our campuses and the continued student success under their leadership.”
