All About Mr. Chaja
Mr. Daniel Chaja joined the SLz community in 2019 as assistant principal. Mr. is equity-minded, student-centered, promotes social justice, and values diversity. Mr. Chaja is passionate about education and providing meaningful learning opportunities for all students to achieve academic success. Mr. Chaja has been Teacher-of-the-Year and received numerous awards while teaching, including the Golden Apple Award and National Semiconductor Internet Innovator Award, a Lilly Fellowship, and was nominated as ACSA Administrator of the Year Award.
Mr. Chaja received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in biology at Indiana University, Bloomington (IU) and his Master’s of Science in Secondary Education Biology & Chemistry at Indiana University at the Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. Mr. Chaja began his career in education as a middle school science teacher. He has also taught at Logan High School and the New Haven Adult School, as well as at a College Preparatory School in the Czech Republic (now known as Czechia) while on a Fulbright Scholarship. Mr. Chaja has a wealth of experience as an administrator at the middle school, high school, and district levels, including roles as assistant principal, principal, assistant director, and director, and has led initiatives in curriculum, instruction, assessments, and educational technology.
At SLz Mr. Chaja oversees the departments of Science, Languages Other Than English (LOTE), English Language Development (ELD), AVID, and Technology. Mr. Chaja also oversees school-wide assessments, such as the PSAT, NWEA, CAASPP, and the AP Exams. Though Mr. Chaja’s student caseload is targeted at students with the last names N-Z, all three assistant principals are available for all students. Since Mr. Chaja also speaks Spanish, Spanish-speaking only parents are welcome to reach out to Mr. Chaja for assistance.
Mr. Chaja views parent-guardian participation and student agency as important keys to student success. Mr. Chaja is excited to bring his knowledge and skills to SLz to assist teachers and parents in navigating the road toward student success, and is committed to helping move our school along the path of excellence through compassion, as well as equitable and innovative teaching and learning practices.
