Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents LA LUZ DE LIDERAZO - A MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT October 2022
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 Heilit Biehl, Threat Assessment Coordinator for Safety & Security, Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Thronton, CO. Heilit 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 & EducationHeilit Biehl is the Threat Assessment Coordinator for Safety & Security Services at Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Thornton, CO. She is a member of the District's Safety & Security team, oversees 56 school Threat Assessment Team's processes and training, as well as chairing the District's Threat Assessment Team. Heilit got her BA from Utah State University with a minor in Spanish. She also earned a MS from Nova Southeastern University in Student Affairs with an emphasis in Conflict Resolution. Heilit has worked in education over 15 years with 10 of those years being spent at colleges and universities in Colorado, Florida, and Utah. She has worked in Residence Life, Crisis Response, and Case Management. Heilit teaches school districts on the Adams County Threat Assessment Protocol (PreK-12) and is certified in SIVRA-35, VRAW, ERIS, ATIXA, and TRAP-18. She serves on the Board of Directors and is an adjunct instructor for the I Love U Guys Foundation, is the Secretary for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), serves as the Adams 12 delegate and Scholarship Committee Chair for the Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators & Superintendents (CO-ALAS). She has also volunteered for the Colorado School Safety Resource Center and the Center for the Study of Prevention of Violence in federal grant initiatives. Heilit is mom to two littles who attend school in Jefferson County, Colorado where she has volunteered as the School Accountability Chair, a member of the district’s former Jefferson County School Safety Study Group, and thrown holiday classroom parties despite unscheduled fire drills. Her favorite past time is traveling with her family of four coast-to-coast with dreams of making memories abroad, including to her native home country of Venezuela.
What is exciting about my job? I am a person who loves comfort but when we’re too comfortable, we don’t grow. I enjoy my work because every day is different. I LOVE that I get to meet with students, staff, and families to collaborate with them on intervention strategies that support better decision making while promoting student safety across all aspects.
Words from a consejero/a. Check in with yourself regularly to see if you are aligned with your passions, values, and purpose. Where you spend your time is where you invest your energy. Set goals for now and later that will help you maximize the most out of the time you’ve been given. Being an educator is a pretty selfless job that can take a lot of emotional energy. Know that you are making an impact on future generations and are doing good … AND it’s okay to take the time for yourself to sustain that work. Be a role model for healthy boundaries. Advice you would give a new superintendent or school leader: I don’t know if I’m the right person to give advice but I have a request. Take a moment and reflect. Remember not to lose the student perspective in what you do. Do you remember what it’s like to walk the halls rushing to your next class and squeezing in a stop at your locker? How about a memory about a school-based experience like walking field trips to the local high school to catch the matinee showing of the spring musical? Or just sitting on the steps having lunch with your friends with your favorite menu choice – pizza Fridays? Do you remember which adults gave you a chance and how that felt? If not, time to get back to the ground work and live that moment. It may look a little different as times have changed and interests vary. Be willing to learn what’s new and evolving – it’s not all bad, just different. Sharing in this experience will guide your words, decisions, and actions to be truly student-centered and inclusive.
If you catch me outside the office, you’ll find . . .
I am always planning my next excursion to visit Mickey Mouse. And I love to bring others along or help them plan their own.
How does CO-ALAS add value?
CO-ALAS has inspired me to be a better leader and find connection with my fellow Latino/a/x colleagues. It has become a professional familia where I find belonging. I value the continued professional growth support I’ve seen through skill development, job placement opportunities, and nurturing future latino/a/x educators as leaders.