At Mastery Schools, our leaders collaborate with our highly qualified and passionate educators in their commitment to creating joyful school communities where all students thrive and receive the personal and academic skills they need to succeed and pursue their dreams. 

Meet Mastery leaders Walter Bounds and Erica Cruz, two new assistant principals of instruction (API), who joined the Mastery community for school year 2024-2025. As leaders, both bring their passion and knowledge to help fulfill our mission on their campuses. 

 

Walter Bounds joined Harrity Elementary as the assistant principal of instruction for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). He began his career as a City Year Corps member, taught middle school STEM and served as a teacher leader at Uncommon Schools, and spent two years as an assistant principal prior to joining Mastery.  

As a native Philadelphian, Bounds is excited about his return to the City of Brotherly Love and is eager to learn from the hands-on and engaged leadership team at Harrity Elementary, where he plans to use his skillset to drive positive student outcomes, including his goal to increase PSSA math scores for students in third through eighth grade.

Erica Cruz has stepped into the role of assistant principal of instruction for humanities for third through eighth grade at Grover Cleveland Elementary. The veteran educator, who is entering her 13th year in education, began her journey as a special education teacher at Trubright Science Academy before continuing as a special education teacher and case manager for Frederick Douglass Elementary, which was then run by the School District of Philadelphia. 

When Mastery was chosen to operate and turn Frederick Douglass Elementary around, Cruz stayed on board, and then began teaching at Grover Cleveland Elementary. “I stayed because Mastery believes in preparing students for success after graduation, in whatever pathway that may be!” Cruz said. “Mastery doesn’t push the narrative that everyone should go to college, because that simply is not our reality. What Mastery does do is make sure students have the experiences, academic rigor, and love of learning to make their dreams come true.” 

She is eager to use her experience and tested practices to support teachers and students at a broader scale, and one of her most critical goals is to build and maintain strong relationships with her leadership team at Cleveland to ensure they stay united as One Team to achieve their goals. 

Both Bounds and Cruz were drawn to Mastery Schools’ mission of pursuing equity through student experiences and family engagement. “Mastery’s relentless pursuit of its mission to ensure students receive the best education possible is something I am very aligned with and I think it is what every child in Camden and Philadelphia deserves,” said Bounds. They are both committed to providing students with a high-quality education that prepares them to pursue their dreams.