After two decades of dedicated service, Juan David Lopez is bidding farewell to TCS, leaving behind a legacy of educational excellence. From his humble beginnings as a social studies teacher, he rose through the ranks, becoming a pillar of discipline and eventually assuming the role of principal. Now, driven by a thirst for new horizons, Lopez is set to embark on a new adventure in Monterrey, Mexico, where he hopes to continue making a profound impact on the world of education.

Lopez demonstrated confidence, security and respect, earning the trust of students and teachers. His legacy goes beyond his personal connections, engaging the entire TCS community with a sense of unity and common purpose. Lopez legacy will endure in TCS for many years.

“I think the biggest change for him was he instilled a sense of trust and safety and being respected by the leadership of the High School,” Susana Arias Learning Center Coordinator said.

Lopez transformative initiatives have had a profound impact on the educational landscape, revolutionizing the way students are evaluated and significantly broadening the range of available courses. Lopez has created an environment that promotes academic excellence and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Lopez’s main goal was to create trust within the TCS community. To achieve this, he implemented various tactics. One such tactic was ensuring that backpacks were no longer left on the floor. This small change aimed to instill a sense of discipline and orderliness among the students.

Additionally, TCS started adopting a more rigorous academic approach, sending weekly progress emails to keep parents and students informed about their educational journey. The administration became stricter in representing the school, emphasizing the importance of professionalism and positive image.

Finally, they introduced more stringent rules regarding recoups, creating a greater sense of accountability and responsibility among the students. Through these measures, Lopez aimed to foster trust, discipline, and a stronger educational environment within the TCS community. This change encouraged students to reach their full potential. Lopez has established a strong channel for effective communication between students, teachers, and administrators.

“He brought order and he brought the best intentions and he made people believe that it was possible to make a change,” Vice Principal Paul Navarra said.

Lopez leaves the school with utmost respect and honor. His extraordinary achievements at TCS have left an amazing mark, ensuring that his legacy will endure through the years to come. His impact reaches the entire TCS community. His genuine care and compassion were not limited to the students alone, but embraced everyone within the community. Through his actions, he fostered a sense of unity and belonging, creating a lasting legacy that will continue to resonate with the entire Columbus School community for years to come.

“Some of the changes that he pioneered were the shift from the 100 point scale to the four point scale, and which is the standard space grading approach that’s like a curricular approach. He brought in academic rigor he opened up lots of new courses, the course offering that we have now, which is 70 plus courses, for students to choose their own pathways is mostly his creation. And I also believe he changed. Vertical alignment for departments. At a curricular level, he helped again, structure communication and core documents,” Arias said.

Lopez is embarking on an exciting new chapter in his life as he prepares to embark on a new journey as the principal of a MS and HS in  Monterrey. 

While bidding farewell to TCS, Lopez is filled with gratitude for the experiences and opportunities he had at Columbus school. However, driven by a desire for fresh challenges and the opportunity to make a difference in a different educational setting, Lopez eagerly embraces the prospect of something new.  Lopez’s gratitude for TCS and his eagerness for this new endeavor combine to shape an exciting path ahead, filled with endless possibilities for personal and professional growth and new experiences.

“I’m gonna be working at the American School Foundation of Monterey as a MS and HS principal. I would say that the main reason for me leaving has nothing to do with me being unhappy here is just because I with my wife have been thinking for a long time about a change. Because you know, it’s different visiting a country or actually living in that country. So, we were looking into this, and this opportunity showed up,” Lopez, HS Principal, said.

“I think his achievements speak for themselves. I think he leaves a lot of respect for our responsibility, lots of order. And I think people really valued his work. We’re gonna miss him a lot because without him I think we owe him; No, I think he gave us a lot of order. He gave us a lot of sense of belonging to our school, and I really appreciate all the work he did for us,” Navarra said.