Welcome from Principal Lisa Geigle


Hello, Birch Lane Elementary Families!

I am beyond thrilled to join the Birch Lane Elementary School community! It is my honor to work alongside this amazing team of educators to serve this incredible Davis community. I believe that every student deserves a high quality educational experience and, more importantly, I believe in joy, well-being, and tending to the human side when it comes to our students, our teammates and our community.

A little about me- I admire the role of a teacher and whole-heartedly believe that educators have the power to set students on a successful life trajectory. As a first-generation college graduate, I understand the importance of having champion educators in my corner. I had educators who helped me navigate the college admissions process that was a foreign concept to our family. It was always my mother’s dream to become an educator and, at a young age, I knew I wanted to accomplish this dream for her. After earning a B.A. in Liberal Studies from UC Riverside, I obtained my Multiple Subjects teaching credential from Cal State Fullerton where I taught in 3rd and 6th grade classrooms. I then became a founding teacher for Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy where I taught 6th-11th grade English and History before becoming an Instructional Coach, Assistant Principal, and then Principal for these past seven years. My passion for curriculum and instruction that supports all learners has led me to professional development opportunities in Project Based Learning, Universal Design for Learning, Co-Teaching, Guided Language Acquisition Design, and other inclusive instructional models that support critical thinking, inquiry, investigation, research and hands-on exploration.

Education has been an important aspect in my life both personally and professionally, and I truly believe it takes a village to raise a child which is how my husband and I raise our own children. My husband Bryce (who is also a school Principal) and I have three children: Harper (6), Beckett (4) and Fitzgerald (2). We love teaching our children as much as we enjoy teaching our students, and we always want them to be connected to the communities in which we serve. In our downtime, we enjoy spending time together, visiting family, watching and playing sports (we are a soccer family), and reading of course (as former English teachers, our children are all named after authors)!

Our Birch Lane team are enthusiastic and caring educators who are passionate about encouraging students to achieve academically and reach their highest potential with great patience, compassion, creativity and love, while also having an energetic and enthusiastic attitude toward rigorous learning and instruction and supporting students in their development and growth. We are committed to ensuring an equitable and rigorous learning environment that serves the needs of every scholar, with a whole child approach. It is the heart and spirit of the team that drew me here, and it is clear there is a deep and proud history of learning and growth inside Birch Lane’s classrooms. I commit to honoring these traditions and supporting this legacy. The team here has worked hard to develop exceptional practices over the years in support of students, teachers, and families, and I am thrilled to call Birch Lane Elementary my new home.

I look forward to supporting and partnering with every member of our Birch Lane community, and I look forward to meeting you in person soon! Thank you for welcoming me into your community!

Lisa Geigle | Principal