30 Dec 2023 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2024: Callie Quiroz, Anne Watson Elementary

Not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up. 

That was not the case for Callie Quiroz, who always knew she would stand in front of her own class one day. For Quiroz, “playing school” came second nature.

“My mother, Dorcas, has always worked with adults and children who have special needs, and my nana, Ramona Bishop-Johnson (known to everyone as Mrs. B.) taught at Perryville Elementary for 30 years,” Quiroz said. 

“I grew up helping Nana with summer school and vacation Bible school, and with getting her classrooms ready for the new school year. I also had a great experience at my elementary school, Ida Burns, in Conway. I loved my years there and had many teachers that I looked up to.”

Quiroz received her college education at the University of Central Arkansas and holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, with endorsements in special education and ESL, as well as a master’s degree in education as a Library Media Specialist. Most recently, she earned an educational specialist degree.

She began work as a preschool teacher more than 15 years ago at Anne Watson Elementary in Bigelow, which is a pre-K through sixth-grade school with a current enrollment of 355 students. The school is part of the East End School District.

“I spent seven years as a pre-K teacher, then decided to use my love of literacy to become the librarian at our school,” Quiroz said. “Having the opportunity to teach my former pre-K students was so special, and I really enjoyed having the chance to connect with every student at Anne Watson.

In April of 2022, Quiroz interviewed for the principal 

position and was hired. Although she said she loved working as the school librarian, she couldn’t ignore that becoming principal felt like a true calling and that her 15 years at the school had been preparing her for the role.

“The relationships I have built with my students, their families and our staff are so important to me, and I am beyond thankful for this opportunity,” Quiroz said. “Anne Watson’s theme this year is ‘Our Future is Bright.’ We want our students to know we believe in them, and that they are capable of anything they set out to achieve. Visitors constantly tell us we have something very special about our district, and I am reminded daily they are right.”

Among the reasons the school is such a great place are the incredible students who attend Anne Watson, she said. “Some of these kids have risen from impossible circumstances, and the compassion our staff has for each of them is very humbling,” Qiuroz said. “Everyone is there because they care about the community, what they do and the kids.”

Quiroz, described as a servant-leader in her nomination, said that the East End School District’s Superintendent is an alum of the district and that she and others are deeply invested in the district’s success. “They all inspire me to lead by example, and my dream is to have a lasting impact on a place that means so much to me.”