Ann Kim greeted roughly 1,117 students on Tuesday, Aug. 11, as the new principal of Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, returning to the campus where she started her career two decades ago as a special education teacher.

"My heart belongs on a school site interacting with kids every day," Kim told the Lamorinda Weekly, explaining why she left district-level administration to lead the school.

The Lafayette School District Governing Board approved Kim's appointment in a 4-0 vote on May 13. Board members Rob Sturm, Katy Foreman, Jon Deane and Alida Smit all voted yes.

Kim first joined Stanley in 2006 as a special education teacher and spent three years in that role. She went on to become a reading specialist, then principal at Lafayette Elementary School, then moved into district administration. She brings more than 30 years of experience spanning classroom teaching, school-site leadership and central office work.

She joins fellow administrators Rachel Decker and Cristina So at the school.

New math curriculum, counseling support top priorities

Kim told the Lamorinda Weekly her early priorities include rolling out Amplify Desmos Mathematics California, the new kindergarten-through-Algebra 1 curriculum the board adopted on June 10 for the 2026-27 school year. She also plans to strengthen multi-tiered systems of support with counselors, school psychologists and the administrative team.

Kim said the entire staff will reinforce "The Stanley Way," the school's norms, with a focus on setting high expectations in the opening weeks.

Farida Mishak, a seventh grader at Stanley who had Kim as her principal at Lafayette Elementary through third grade, said she's looking forward to the reunion. "It will be fun to have Ms. Kim again," Mishak told the Lamorinda Weekly. "I remember her being really nice and it'll be really cool to have her at my school again."

Mangold departs after two decades

Kim replaces Brian Mangold, who joined Stanley in 2005 as a special education teacher, became assistant principal in 2023 and served as principal for the past three years. The Stanley Parent Teacher Association presented Mangold with a friendship bench over the summer in honor of his more than two decades of service.

The school is the only middle school in the Lafayette School District, which serves about 3,235 students across six campuses. Stanley was named a California Distinguished School in March 2024.

The next Governing Board regular meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Stanley Middle School Library, 3455 School St., Lafayette.