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Principal's Message

Andrea Citchen

Founding Principal

Greetings Sparks Families –

 

Welcome to the YES Prep Southside Elementary family! I am humbled that you have chosen YES Prep Southside Elementary as your child’s school, and I am excited to lead your student through elementary school as we prepare them for middle school, high school, and beyond.

Your family chose YES Prep Public Schools for your student; we understand that decision comes with a lot of responsibility for our team. The educators at YES Prep Southside Elementary are here to support your student and family throughout the elementary school journey. Students, families, educators, and staff at YES Prep Southside Elementary must all work together to ensure that our students have the supports and resources needed to be successful during their elementary school years, but also to prepare them to be successful and live a choice-filled life.

As we embark on our founding school year of YES Prep Southside Elementary, I ask that you take time to review the YES Prep Unified Student Handbook as well as the YES Prep Southside Elementary Individual Campus Supplement. These two documents have been created to share information with you about the support and expectations for students who attend YES Prep Southside Elementary. 

Our ultimate goal is to serve the Southside community by providing a high-quality education in a safe and collaborative learning environment, so that all children achieve their full potential and can live choice-filled lives. We are so excited to have you on this journey.

 

Shine bright Sparks!

 

Andrea Citchen | Founding Principal

About Andrea Citchen

Andrea is entering her 18th year in education and her 8th year with YES Prep. She is a proud native of St. Louis, MO. Go Cards! She is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Indiana Wesleyan University where she earned a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master’s in Educational Leadership.

Andrea relocated to Houston in 2015 to begin her journey with YES Prep. Prior to joining YES, she held various teaching and leadership positions at KIPP. She also taught elementary school in Indianapolis Public Schools. While at YES, Andrea has served as High School Dean of Students, Director of Student Support, Resident Principal and Principal of YES Prep IKE.