Mr. Anthony Barela is in his fourth year as the principal at Sunset Middle School. He is extremely excited about the opportunity to work with the Sunset community. Mr. Barela is a Colorado native and grew up in Durango. He spent the past four years as the principal at Vista High School in Vista, California. Under his direction, VHS was designated an XQ Super School (the XQ award is a $10 million dollar competitive award established to transform American high schools). As a Super School, VHS was selected from over 700 national applicants and was one of the top 10 in the nation.   Anthony was recognized as the 2017 San Diego County Principal of the Year, awarded by the Association of California School Administrators.
Anthony has spent the past 20 years in education and is a proud first generation college graduate. Mr. Barela earned his Bachelor of Science degree in cellular and molecular biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He earned his Master’s Degree from California State University, San Marcos, in educational administration.
Mr. Barela lives in Erie Colorado with Erin, his wife of 17 years. They have four children – all of whom attend schools in the St. Vrain Valley School District. They enjoy spending time together in the community and serving their church. Mr. Barela is honored to be part of the amazing Sunset staff and is proud to be a Spartan.