President’s Message

Dear Desert Heights Family,

As the prospect of returning to a traditional educational experience looms, I wanted to take a moment to welcome all members of our Desert Heights Charter School family to the 2024-2025 school year! Recent experiences have taught us that change, and uncertainty are always present. However, our strength as a family and community remains strong. And despite the challenges that may come, we will remain steadfast in our offer to our stakeholders.

What is that offer you may be asking?

At Desert Heights, our offer is defined by our Mission and Vision. Collectively, we believe that each day awards us an opportunity to provide excellence and a standard of service not often found in schools. This approach to education requires that we remain committed to compassion, empathy, and quality for all members of our community, and that we understand that each student possesses unique characteristics that make them special. We believe wholeheartedly that individualizing the experience for each student is an essential component to helping them identify their strengths and areas of growth in an ever-changing world.

We believe that asking our students to live in accordance with our Three Pillars, Academic Excellence, Integrity of Character and Social Awareness and Responsibility will help set them on a path dedicated to vibrant, healthy development and self-awareness that will last a lifetime. Additionally, it is imperative that the culture we create is one that emphasizes the importance of developing the whole child; that inclusivity and processes of self-identification are celebrated and welcomed.

We are as excited for our twenty-third year of educating as we were for our first year! We are excited to indoctrinate those new to our community in “The Desert Heights Way”. We are enthused by the opportunity to nurture the development of young minds and to allow them the liberty of learning from their mistakes. Our highly skilled team of teachers and staff understand the importance of your faith and belief in who we say we are. We cannot thank you enough for allowing us this incredible opportunity, and as we welcome you back, please know that we are prepared to address whatever may come without compromising what we all cherish and value, OUR COYOTES!

Honored to be your President,

Mark A. Jiles, MA.ED.
President of Desert Heights Charter Schools