Principal

John "Jay" Laughlin is honored to have the opportunity to serve as the principal of Castellanos and Eisner. Since 2009, Jay has worked in public schools as a teacher and school leader with a focus on ensuring every student is empowered with access to opportunity through an excellent education. Most recently, Jay served as the principal of The Chicago Academy Elementary School, a public preK-8 school on Chicago’s northwest side. At The Chicago Academy, Jay led efforts to implement vertically aligned standards-based curriculum, build school-wide capacity for educators to leverage student-centered teaching practices, and launch culturally responsive approaches to instruction that equitably serve all students. Jay engages in this work with an understanding that the success of every individual student is dependent on a network of supports. He is pleased to work with Camino Nuevo Charter Academy where family partnerships are not considered supplemental to, but rather foundational to the success of the educational program. Jay earned an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Teaching from Dominican University, and a Masters in School Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. As new to the Los Angeles community from Chicago, Jay is excited to explore southern California with his wife Alexandra and (eventually) their baby boy who is expected in December.

Assistant Principal of Student Supports

Samantha was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, about 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles. Samantha graduated from UC Riverside with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology. After graduating in 2013, Samantha began her career in education by serving as an Americorps member with City Year, Los Angeles. In her two years of service at Virgil Middle School, Samantha discovered her passion for supporting students in becoming their best possible selves. Since then, Samantha has spent the past 10 years working with students, staff, and school communities in Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Huntington Park. In 2017, Samantha earned a Masters Degree in School Counseling and PPS credential from Loyola Marymount University, and most recently earned her Administrative Credential in 2022. Samantha has held various roles such as Instructional Aide, 9^th grade English teacher, academic counselor, and most recently School Counselor and Special Education Coordinator.

 

Samantha joined the CNCA Eisner community in 2022 as the Assistant Principal of Student Supports. Samantha strives to ensure that students feel they can come to school with not only connection and belonging as an Eisner Jaguar, but the supports to be their best and most authentic selves. As part of her educational mission, Samantha wants students to not only excel academically but to develop and practice interpersonal skills to be successful in whatever path they take. In the words of Ms. Guzman, she wants students to “Make good choices.” Along with this, Samantha works to create alignment and collaboration with Eisner teachers, staff, and parents to create a space at Eisner for all to feel safe, connected, and valued. Samantha is grateful every day for the opportunity to be a part of Eisner.