Becca Birch, Slater Elementary Vice Principal and AVID District Director
Becca Birch serves as Vice Principal at Slater Elementary and AVID District Director in Harney County, where she balances administrative responsibilities with district-wide educational initiatives. Her days are filled with a variety of tasks that support the school community.
"Every day is certainly a fun adventure!" Birch says. Her typical day involves "collaborating with our principal, Mrs. Lardy, managing daily activities, overseeing student discipline, communicating with families, implementing school wide initiatives, attending IEP meetings, building relationships with students, and supporting teachers and staff."
As AVID District Director, Birch oversees a program that spans the K-12 schools in her district. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, provides tools and practices to prepare students for college and careers.
"It is a program that provides teachers, staff, and families with the tools, best practices, and mindset to be able to provide students with opportunities and skills necessary to become career and college ready while prioritizing relationships so everyone can achieve their full potential," explains Birch.
Her role involves visiting schools, conducting observations, collaborating with teams, and collecting data to measure implementation progress. Under her guidance, students are developing organizational skills, preparation techniques, inquiry approaches, collaboration abilities, and confidence.
"Our mission with AVID is to empower our district community to ensure students see success within themselves and graduate prepared for their career and college endeavors!" she shares enthusiastically.
Birch's path to education wasn't direct. She began studying architecture at Arizona State University before switching to civil engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno with the plan to earn her degree and enlist in the Air Force. While working at a preschool to help pay for her education, she discovered her passion for teaching and changed her major to elementary education.
"It was the best decision I could have made!" Birch reflects.
After teaching for 13 years, she moved into administration with encouragement from a former principal. Her relationship with Mrs. Lardy, who had been her mentor when she taught 5th grade at Slater in 2014, influenced her decision to return to Burns when she learned Mrs. Lardy had become principal.
Birch finds joy in "working with students and the amazing staff in this district." She values the community support and collaboration that drives their work. "I absolutely love this community and how many people are willing to lend their time, resources, and ideas," she says.
The challenges of her work are also what make it rewarding. She describes this as "constantly trying to think outside the box to meet every student, teacher, and staff member where they are at so we can continue forward on our path to greatness."
Originally from Gardnerville, Nevada, Birch and her husband sought a small town to establish a family ranch. They purchased property south of Wright's Point in 2014, moved to Wyoming for about seven years, and returned to Harney County in 2021. "We couldn't imagine living anywhere else and love Harney County!" she says.
Collaboration is central to Birch's approach, particularly through her work with the Youth Changing the Community collaborative. This partnership has helped her connect with the community and increase participation in school events. "We are trying to increase awareness of the opportunities that are available to our students to help prepare them for career and college readiness. Collaboration with the youth collaborative has helped me make connections with the community and increase participation in school events. Denise Rose and Camille Torres have been so eager to be involved in all our schools by attending family nights, inviting and including community members in school events, creating opportunities for career fair participation for students, and so many more! The youth collaborative is helping us harness talent from all over the community so we can help students see success through all stages of their educational journey," Birch explains.
"I participate with the youth collaborative because the more people we have pulling together in the same direction to do what is best for students and provide them many opportunities is what this work is all about! Every child in our district is capable and can be empowered to walk in their purpose with a great team to support and inspire them!"
In her free time, Birch enjoys spending time with her family – husband Daniel, daughter Andi Jo, and son Eli – along with their three golden retrievers. She enjoys crafting, gardening, home projects, ranch work, and anything involving horses.
*"The school district is always looking for ways to involve families, community members, and businesses. We are working hard to bring more awareness and opportunities to all our students about the careers in our community and the path to pursue their interests. If you or someone you know is wanting to get involved, interested in speaking to students, or looking for ways to spread the word about community opportunities, please reach out to me! My email is beccabirch@hcsd3.org or you can reach me at 541–573-7201."
