February 2025 - Vany Miramontes Marquez

Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents LA LUZ DE LIDERAZGO - A MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT February 2025

Welcome to the CO ALAS Membership Spotlight. Each month we introduce you to one of our many CO-ALAS members. Let’s see what they are doing and what’s on their mind!

This month we are featuring Vany Miramontes Marquez, Principal of CMS Community School in Denver Public Schools. Vany shares her professional career and current bio below. You can read the diverse experiences that have led to her various leadership roles. One of our shining stars!

Career Highlights & Education

My academic journey has been driven by a deep commitment to excellence from an early age, rooted in the belief that education is the key to building a life of dignity and opportunity for both myself and my family. Growing up in southwest Denver and attending Denver Public Schools (DPS), I navigated the challenges of learning a new language and adapting to a culture that was not my own. These experiences laid the foundation for the leader I have become today.

As a bilingual educator with nearly 10 years of service to DPS, I am proud to now serve my community as the Principal of CMS Community School, a full dual-language school. Leveraging my expertise in dual-language education, I lead efforts to create and sustain a system designed to support Multilingual Language Learners (MLL). Last year, I co-led our school through a transformative process, resulting in a remarkable improvement of more than 20 percentage points in the Colorado Department of Education's School Performance Framework. My leadership roles over the past five years have been rooted in my commitment to advancing equitable education for MLLs, and earlier in my career, I taught in several DPS schools, honing my skills and dedication to this work.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Human Development with an endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, a Master’s in Leadership for Educational Organizations and Policy Studies, and I am currently pursuing a Doctorate in Executive Leadership.

What is exciting about my job?

Every day I am excited to arrive at school even though I never know what the day will consist of. The only consistency in my work is that I get to see students grow as they are empowered to celebrate their identities. Every day I have the honor to lead a dual language school in which students are encouraged to elevate their multilingual identity as they become global citizens.

Leading a dual language school, in the heart of southwest Denver, gives me the opportunity to lead for educational equity. Our school is a system that was developed for Spanish speaking students, simultaneous multilingual students or monolingual English students seeking a full immersion education; when was the last time you felt a system made for you?

Words from a consejero/a

I will be grateful forever as many dedicated mentors and coaches have paved the way for me to become the leader that I am today. Those mentors, coaches and my parents' simple words have pushed me through the most challenging times, two simple words that I tell my students daily "TÚ puedes." It's not about the words, it's about the authentic trust that my parents, mentors and coaches have had in me; that same trust I have in every student's ability to succeed.

Advice you would give a new school leader?

Center your practice in your values and your leadership will flow. Every day we have to make many decisions and those decisions have to demonstrate consistency and alignment to the mission and vision.

If you catch me outside the office, you'll find...

...me spending time with my family and friends. My best memories are made when I gather with my parents, my grandma, aunts and primos y primas as we enjoy my mom's home cooked meals, play loteria and dance in the living room. I also love catching up with friends over a warm cafecito. And it is always important to have 'tiempo para mi' as I enjoy a nice skincare routine with a good binge-worthy show in the background.

How does CO-ALAS add value?

CO-ALAS has shown me that I do belong at the table. CO-ALAS has created a space in which I am able to be my authentic self in which I am surrounded by admirable individuals that always push me to continue to grow. As a life-long learner I am able to continue to develop my practice through the various professional development and networking events that CO-ALAS offers. ¡Gracias a todos por tan bonitas experiencias!