This year, the James Bowie administration team welcomes two new Assistant Principals, Christina Burbank and Amanda Pfieiffer. Burbank will work with the fine arts department and students with the last names Chi-Gel, while Pfieiffer will oversee the math department and students with the last names Os-Smi.
Pfieiffer spent four years as an assistant principal at Kealing Middle School, but before that she taught English at Bowie from 2006-2020. At Kealing, Pfieiffer focused on fostering Fine Arts, ELA, and Social Emotional Learning programs.
“[Being an administrator] is a way to support more students on a larger scale all the time,” Pfieiffer said. “But, being a teacher here was tremendously awesome.”
In her 22 years of education preceding her time at Bowie, Burbank focused on fine arts and athletics programs. From Hidalgo Independent School District to Crockett High School, Burbank spent time as a varsity soccer coach, a theater teacher, and a dance teacher. Most recently she worked as a Supervisor of Marketing and Events for AISD, but she remains motivated to cultivate student and teacher connection through extracurricular activities.
“The reason students come to school is being a part of something bigger than yourself, being a part of a team, being part of a community, and fine arts and athletics,” Burbank said. “This is a huge value system for me.”
As part of their efforts to encourage participation in extracurriculars, the new administrators have been visiting clubs and athletic meets. One of their recent visits was to the new line dancing club.
“They were hanging out with us and getting to know us a little better,” senior Emiliano Martinez said. “I feel like a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have even known their names.”
For Burbank and Pfieiffer, extracurricular activities aren’t the only way to create community. Both administrators are adamant on continuing to strengthen inclusive programs. As a teacher at Bowie, Pfieiffer worked to implement a pride week in March and intends to continue the celebrations to ensure the representation of LGBTQ+ students. Because pride month falls during summer break, this gives students an opportunity for representation that they may not have gotten otherwise.
“What you can do in the immediate is make inclusivity normal, through events, through our messaging,” Pfieiffer said. “This is basically the message: this is how we are, we love each other, and everyone can be who everyone wants to be.”
Students are excited at the prospect of further inclusivity on campus. Junior Simone Brock, a member of the Gay Straight Alliance, agrees with Pfieiffer’s interpretation.
“I find Pride Week to be a great way to feel safe in who you are,” Brock said. “It’s an opportunity to be able to express yourself without feeling the shame of other people.”
In her position as a Supervisor of Marketing and Events, Burbank facilitated the expansion of commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“If you can find that comfort, if you can find a safe space, then it’s more likely it’s going to increase your attendance,” Burbank said. “It’s going to increase your academic achievement, and hopefully your self esteem and your self-worth.”
While expanding inclusivity, the new administrators are excited to find their place in the Bowie community despite potential challenges. For Burbank, Bowie is constantly offering new experiences and opportunities, from club meetings to yearly events.
“What I’m finding here is that there’s so much history, and the large community extends to so many people,” Burbank said. “Having conversations with people and finding those connections, I wouldn’t change.”
While the enthusiasm for Bowie is mutual, Pfieiffer has a unique view of the school as a previous teacher turned administrator.
“They get everything done really, really well, and it’s all very student centered,” Pfieiffer said. “It did make me realize how impressively organized and well run Bowie is.”
The new team is excited to fully immerse themselves into Bowie culture throughout the 2024-2025 school year. Having already visited various clubs and a cross country meet, Pfieiffer is ready to immerse herself back into the Bowie traditions.
“Every year I go to the shows,” Pfieiffer said. “And so I’m excited to do all that again.”
