During  National Principals Month, AFSA highlights the achievements of individual school principals who make us proud each and every day of the year.

Sports shaped and inspired Principal Garrett Kirkland as he grew up in Sacramento, California. He played football, baseball, basketball and tennis.

Unsurprisingly, Garrett’s father was a physical education teacher, and his mother taught English. They expected their three sons to spend their afternoons outside.

“We weren’t allowed in the house. This was so different from today. We were always outside making up games. It made me believe things were possible if we planned, organized and implemented successfully. This led me to leadership,” he says.

Garrett grew up on the south side of Sacramento, first in a condominium and later in a house his father purchased with the help of the GI Bill. He wasn’t a privileged kid, but he was a happy one. When he left home to attend the University of California, Davis, he majored in rhetoric and communication. Still, his enthusiasm for sports remained strong, and he considered becoming a coach or referee.

After college, Garrett took a job in operations and communications for the Sacramento Scorpions while coaching and refereeing at night. He coached baseball at Florin High School and El Camino High School and officiated five different sports, including volleyball, basketball, softball and soccer.

At 25, he decided coaching was what he wanted to do. He realized that becoming a teacher would allow him to pursue both careers. With the full support of his wife, Shelly, he earned his teaching credential and began substitute teaching in kindergarten at Joseph Bonnheim Elementary School in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Soon, he landed a full-time position teaching sixth grade under the leadership of Herbert Walls, an “amazing” principal who inspired him to earn his leadership credential.

He embraced teaching as a challenge and loved it.

“I could actually see the learning in the kids’ faces and body language. The kids know when there’s value in the room. You spend six hours with them, and you have a laboratory for learning,” he says.

When Garrett became an assistant principal at California Middle School in 2011, the pace was jarring because so much was happening at once. Located in affluent Land Park, the school was struggling, and local families were sending their children outside the district.

Working alongside Principal Elizabeth Vigil, Garrett helped persuade the Land Park community to invest in the school. Together, they strengthened academics and improved the overall student experience. Enrollment grew from about seven local students to approximately 130. Today, California Middle School is one of the area’s most desirable schools.

Garrett’s next leadership opportunity came at Albert Einstein Middle School, where he became principal in 2011. He saw another chance to make a difference: High-achieving students from the surrounding area were not enrolling in the school.

To change that, he encouraged families to embrace the school’s mantra: “Explore, Discover, Create.”

The school hosted “A Night of Achievement,” inviting families and prospective students to see what current Einstein students were accomplishing in debate, music and robotics. It also held science days, welcoming students from other schools on field trips to see the work firsthand.

“The school took off,” he says.

Garrett faced his greatest professional challenge in 2017, when he agreed to take over Hiram Johnson High School.

“It was a work in progress, and it still is, especially in the aftermath of COVID,” he says.

In the beginning, he would find students asleep at their desks. When he pushed to address the problem, some teachers sympathized with the students. Garrett, however, advocated for high expectations, and the situation began to improve with the help of three outstanding assistant principals.

“I am highly optimistic,” he says.

The team developed and strengthened schoolwide instructional strategies to improve collaboration, teaching and learning.

Amid these challenges, Garrett became more active in the United Professional Educators, AFSA Local 154. He served as the middle school representative and specialized in negotiations. Richard Owen, an exceptional new director, became his mentor. However, when Garrett became a high school principal, his responsibilities grew so demanding that he had to step away from union work.

In 2021, the union president left, and Garrett was asked to run for the position.

“They tricked me! I won!” he says.

As president, Garrett helped secure 24% in salary increases over six years, family medical benefits, and a mentoring and support program for principals. After hearing an AFSA labor organizer speak, he decided to affiliate the union with AFSA. The affiliation was completed in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento City Unified School District began facing the prospect of bankruptcy, and Richard Owen unexpectedly passed away.

“It’s very challenging, but I’m optimistic, probably because at my high school everything feels possible,” Garrett says.

He remains passionate about the union and its role in supporting school leaders.

“We’re in the front lines. We’re held responsible for everything, but we’re in charge of nothing. We can’t have our people hung out to dry,” he says. “Consolidating principals, APs and supervisors has increased our power.”

In a few years, Garrett hopes to retire.

“None of this is about me. It’s about the ones who stay,” he says.

When he finds a moment away from his demanding responsibilities, Garrett enjoys building things around the house. He even built a waterfall in his garden.

“I like to make things I can see,” he says.

As he contemplates retirement, Garrett laughs.

“I’ve been so busy, I want to be a little bored.”