Sottile, Sarah

Dr. Sarah Sottile, Assistant Principal

Hello and welcome to Kyrene Traditional Academy!

I am honored to be serving the KTA community as your Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. I have served students and families for over 22 years, working with children as young as 3 months old in early intervention programs, to adults through the age of 26 in employment and transition programs and have greatly enjoyed the unique experience and characteristics that each stage of development brings.

我开始我的职业生涯在密歇根,我参加了您na Heights University to complete my Bachelors in Child Development with Early Childhood and Elementary Teaching Certification and then Michigan State University for my Masters in Special Education with an emphasis on Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. After receiving my Masters in Special Education, I wanted to improve my American Sign Language skills to be fluent in any setting and went on to Lansing Community College's interpreter training program to become a certified American Sign Language Interpreter. During this time, I collaborated with the program director, Brenda Cartwright, to co-author my first published curriculum, World Languages: ASL which is in use throughout Kyrene's middle school programs today and continues to be used in middle schools and high schools in Michigan. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis on Cognition and Instruction with Grand Canyon. My research focused on professional development opportunities to improve teachers' self-efficacy in classroom management through de-escalation strategies training.

While my role as your Assistant Principal fulfills my need to serve students and families, foster a love for learning, and engage in meaningful ways within my community, my role as Athletic Director equally fuels my passion for fitness, friendly competition, and sportsmanship. As a lifelong athlete, I understand firsthand what athletics meant to me during my middle school and high school years. It provided the motivation and drive towards achievement in all areas, taught me how to balance a full schedule at a young age, and offered valuable life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and goal setting that have been beneficial and applicable in my personal and professional life. Middle school athletics allowed me to explore every possible sport to identify my strengths and improve my skills in diverse areas. I was able to try tennis, volleyball, basketball, softball, and cheer, until finding the sport that would ultimately become my lifelong love, swimming. In finding my niche sport, I was able to develop a lifelong habit that promoted self-discipline and a healthy lifestyle. I am blessed to continue to compete at a national masters level with the Arizona Aqua Stars of Mesa. It is my core belief that everyone has that one thing that best fits them and is meant to bring joy, nourish friendships, relieve stress, and promote healthy living. It is my goal with our KTA athletics program and extracurricular activities to help students learn more about themselves through a vast variety of experiences in hopes of finding that one special talent and interest.

As a proud Kyrene parent, I made the same great choice that you have made in enrolling my daughter at Kyrene Traditional Academy. She promoted to high school with KTA's 8th grade class of 2021 ready to excel academically and be a citizen, scholar, and friend to all as KTA had prepared her. I am thankful for the difference the KTA community made in her life, and hope to pay it forward by continuing to positively impact the families and students of KTA.