CVHS Welcomes New Principal

 

The Coyote family is excited to announce the appointment of Principal Erica Helfrey in the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Read on to hear about Erica Helfrey's passion for education in her own words.

"Campo Verde has been my home for ten years. I know this campus, I know its people, and I know what makes it special. I am not coming in to change what is working — I am coming in to protect it and keep it growing. To our students: I am for you. To our families: my door is open. To our staff: you are what makes this place what it is. I am ready for next chapter and I am grateful for the trust.

I am passionate about leading our great school next year because I am excited to see the continued innovation on campus and I believe that education is not one-size-fits-all. Students need educators who are willing to evolve alongside them — who understand that learning is not linear and that a student's potential is not defined by a single moment or a single score. I am grateful for the opportunity to help build a campus where every student feels seen, challenged, and supported — and where the adults around them never stop growing either.

This desire to grow alongside and support students was cultivated because of a moment when three people changed my life with one question: What colleges are you applying to? My senior English teacher, my cheer coach, and my dad saw something in me before I could see it in myself — and that opened a door I didn't know existed. I became an educator to be that moment for someone else, as a teacher, a coach, and now in leadership. To plant the idea that changes the whole trajectory of a person's life. 

After my first year as principal, I hope the Campo community can say — "I know she cares about us." Not just about the school's performance or its programs, but about the actual humans inside the building. I want students to feel known and parents to feel like they have a genuine partner in their child's education. Everything else grows from that.

A sense of belonging, a belief in students' own potential, and the skills to navigate what comes next are central to starting an environment rooted in care and partnership. Academic excellence matters deeply — but so does helping a young person learn how to work through hard things, build relationships, advocate for themselves, and find their place in the world. The best schools do both. That is what Campo Verde has always done and what we will continue to do.

My favorite memory from my high school experience comes from my senior English class. My teacher had arranged the room in a U-shape with his desk at the center — which sounds like a small detail, but it changed everything about how that classroom felt. Nobody was in the back row. Nobody was invisible. He pushed us academically, but he also took the time to know each of us as individuals, and that combination created a classroom culture I have never forgotten.

During our last week as seniors, he hosted what he called a "predict your future" session — completely optional, entirely hilarious, and surprisingly meaningful. Using our school involvement, current trends, and texts we had read together throughout the year, he painted a picture of where each of us might end up. It was funny and warm and deeply personal all at once. It was the kind of moment that could only happen in a classroom where real trust had been built over time.

That memory is the reason I became an educator. I wanted to create that same feeling — where students walk out of a room knowing they were seen, knowing someone believed in them, and maybe laughing a little along the way. 

Some fun facts about me: Most people assume administrators spend their weekends catching up on emails — and honestly, sometimes that is true. But what actually recharges me is gathering people around a table. I love hosting — whether it is a backyard dinner, a holiday gathering, or finding a new local restaurant that nobody has heard of yet. Food, family, and quality time together are my reset button. I believe that the best conversations happen around a meal, and I carry that same philosophy onto campus — connection first, everything else follows. I also love to travel and explore new places, because I think there is something about stepping outside of your routine that reminds you how much world there is still to experience."