We have seen her, but who is she? What does she do? Why is she here? Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the newest member of Midlothian Heritage High’s administrative team… Mrs. Velder! 

Hailing from the city of Arlington, Mrs. Velder is the new assistant principal at Midlothian Heritage High School this year. Her place in the school has been a question on a lot of students’ minds and she is ready to make her grand debut.

“Before Heritage, I lived in Arlington and I worked for their school district,” assistant principal Carrie Velder said. “I taught there for 14 years before I went to teach at a charter school for the International Leadership of Texas and I was an administrator there.” 

Mrs. Velder received her education in teaching in Nacogdoches, Texas for four years before going on to teach.

“I went to Stephen F Austin and got my masters at the University of North Texas,” Velder said. “I double-majored in English and psychology. I am certified to teach grades six through twelve, but I worked with high schoolers.”

Mrs. Velder was ready for a change in work and environment, so she decided to uproot her family and move a little further south.

“We moved to Midlothian about two years ago and I applied this summer to work in Midlothian and I got the job!” Velder said.

She seems to love the students and staff at Heritage, enjoying getting to know the student body and their educators.

“There is a lot of school spirit (at Heritage) which is a lot of fun!” Velder said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the teachers; there are some great teachers here. I think there is something for everybody here, which I think is really nice. A new student could come into Heritage and find something to be apart of.”

Mrs. Velder seems to be fitting right in with our Heritage family, already partaking in some of our traditions.

“I like how the football players give the teachers jerseys on Fridays, I think that’s really cool and I’ve enjoyed wearing those,” Velder said. “I also love all the opportunities the teachers get to watch and observe students perform. There’s a lot of opportunities for teachers to go and support students.” 

While her job gives her time to get to know the student body, she does have other responsibilities. Some of her responsibilities include managing discipline and helping out staff.

“A lot of times I deal with discipline,” Velder said. “I look and see if there are referrals that have come through. I also try to take the time to meet at least one new student every day, since I’m still learning. I help with English teachers in the English department, I deal with parent complaints and phone calls, and I also try to help the office staff with anything they need help with.”

As a student body, we continue to be a community that loves and supports each other, which Mrs. Velder hopes to see more of in the future. 

“I hope as Heritage grows and develops that it keeps its richness and the small family feels that it has,” Velder said. I think it’s what makes Heritage really special.”