Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! My name is Ira Harge, Jr. and am excited and honored to serve the students, parents, and communities of the Chama Valley School District as the Escalante Mid/High School principal and athletic director. It is with great pleasure that we welcome back our students to in person learning!

Many of you may recognize the last name Harge. My father is the famous University of New Mexico Lobo who played in the early 1960’s who went on to play in the NBA/ABA. My parents are both educators. My mother Gerry Harge is a retired superintendent and my father, besides being a former professional basketball player, is a retired schoolteacher. Personally, I have been in secondary education for 8 years.Most recently, I was the athletic director at Espanola Public Schools; however, before that I was a teacher and Head Boys’ Basketball at Pecos High School.

Athletics have played a big part in my life. I played basketball at St. Pius X High School and was blessed and lucky enough to be selected to move on to the next level. San Diego State University is where I began my colligate career but after 2 years, I transferred to the University of Denver where I finished my basketball career.

Academically, I earned a master’s degree in Human Performance in Sport and in Business Management, as well as an Education Leadership Certificate from New Mexico Highlands University. From the University of Denver, I received my Bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration with an emphasis in Decision Sciences (Statistics).

My commitment is to provide a safe educational environment for each of the Escalante Middle and High School students to achieve academic and social excellence through a rigorous and challenging academic environment. Collaboration among all stakeholders is necessary to ensure each student that graduates from Escalante Middle Mid /High School is a productive and positive contributor to society in all aspects of life. I look forward to working alongside the outstanding faculty and staff at EMHS, and I plan for an exciting and academically dynamic post COVID-19 school year!