Called to the Principal’s Office: Rose Gandarilla, Bowie High School Class of 1994
(BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL – Oct. 28) – Principal Rose Gandarilla’s return to her alma mater this summer to lead a new generation of Bowie Bears is more than a dream for her, it’s a calling.
“I always wanted to be at Bowie,” said the 1994 graduate and Bowie’s first female principal. “I’m very grateful and humbled to be here to serve the community I came from.”
She’s passionate about her roots and the community that molded her to become the leader she is today. Gandarilla, who lived at the corner of Third Avenue and Florence Street, remembers the struggles of growing up with a single mom from Mexico with a sixth-grade education.
“I can relate to the students because I know their struggles,” Gandarilla said. “I can talk to them and say, ‘you know what? I made it. You can make it, too. Let us help you.’”
Gandarilla attended Aoy Elementary, the former Roosevelt Elementary and Guillen Middle School before heading off to El Paso High for six weeks. Her brother had bought their mom a house near La High in the summer between her eighth grade and freshman years.
“I was miserable because I had all my friends down here, so my brother and my mom actually had to go speak to the assistant superintendent, Mr. George, to get a transfer back,” she said.
Once she returned home to Bowie High, Gandarilla delved into everything: JROTC, cheerleading, band, student council, tennis. She thumbed through her yearbook pointing out photos that took her back to her senior year, stopping briefly at a photo of her as Bowie Fiesta Queen.
“We had a big party, the coronation, the dance, representatives from every club on campus, the beau and the sweetheart. I think that’s my favorite memory,” she smiled. “It was an amazing experience for me.”
Then-Principal Paul Strelzin – the bigger-than-life former El Paso Diablos and UTEP basketball announcer – also left quite the impression on a young Gandarilla. She admired him, describing how he truly cared about his students and even went to battle for them after repeated harassment from the U.S. Border Patrol. While forever known for his days as a public address announcer, the “Strelz” also remains synonymous with Bowie High.
“He was always with the kids, hanging out with us,” she said. “He would ask us how our day was, what was going on with us. He was everywhere. He was at all events, sports, academics – anything that was going on. He was there at lunch. He was just a good principal.”
Gandarilla follows Strelzin’s example by staying visible on campus, keeping an open-door policy for students and staff, and finding ways to make a difference on campus. In her first few months on the job, Gandarilla has seen a wave of support from alumni who share her desire to give back to their beloved Bowie and lift up today’s Osos.
“I think the pride of being a Bowie alumnus is just in everyone who came here. It doesn’t ever leave that you came to Bowie, that you made it, that you’ve succeeded even though you had to surpass some not favorable circumstances growing up,” Gandarilla said. “That’s what makes Bowie so unique. People want to give back because they know the struggles growing up in the community. They want to help so that it doesn't stop with them and that our kids now have the same opportunity to be successful.”
Oso Oso Oso!
Photos by Leonel Monroy, Jr.