Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD) recently announced two new principals for Lone Mountain and Desert Willow Elementary Schools.

Lone Mountain Elementary School: Mrs. Emily Ellis-Hill
Mrs. Emily Ellis-Hill is no stranger to Cave Creek as she has spent most of her career in the district and has trusted CCUSD with her three sons who all attend schools within the district. She has served in education for 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Grand Canyon University. She also earned two master’s degrees, one in Educational Leadership and the other in Administration from Northern Arizona University and Grand Canyon University.

Ellis-Hill taught at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School for many years, served as an instructional coach, and was most recently the Assistant Principal at Mountainview Elementary, a K-8 school in the Sunnyslope neighborhood in the Washington Elementary School District.

“After spending a few years outside of the district to gain administrative experience, we are excited to welcome Emily back to CCUSD to serve the Lone Mountain community as principal, where she will work to continue to shape our STEM program, develop high quality classrooms, and help the Eagles soar to success,” shares a CCUSD spokesperson.

Desert Willow Elementary School: Dr. JoAnn Roach
Dr. JoAnn Roach has been dedicated to the field of education for more than 21 years and earned her doctorate through Capella University in 2018. She is a fluent Spanish speaker, reader, and writer and has a passion for second language learning.

Dr. Roach has worked with students ranging in age from preschool through 8th grade in a variety of roles, including being a bilingual education teacher, middle school behavior intervention specialist, and a K-5 instructional coach. Most recently, she served the past four years as the Assistant Principal for Gateway Elementary School in the Creighton School District.

On a personal note, Dr. Roach shares that she and her husband have lived in the north Phoenix area for over 16 years. Her son is a nursing student at Northern Arizona University while her daughter is a business student in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.