Kara Largent joined the Playworks Arizona team in July 2016 as the new regional partnerships director. Although Playworks Arizona is always growing, what makes this new staff member different is her background. Kara spent the first 15 years of her career in public education in Arizona first as a teacher, then as an assistant principal, and finally as a principal.
The first time Kara heard about Playworks, she was driving to school during her first year as principal of a K-8 school in the West Valley, and an interview with Playworks came on the radio. When she got to school that morning, she sought out Playworks to learn more. Over the course of the next year and a half, Kara visited Playworks schools, invited the Playworks program director out to her school, and talked Playworks up to her staff and community for support and buy-in. By the time Kara had secured the funds to bring the Playworks TeamUp model to her school, her staff was ready and excited for it. Her school welcomed Playworks with open arms and showed enthusiasm for embedding it into their culture.
Kara was so impressed with the positive impact that Playworks had on her students, staff, and overall school climate that when given the chance to spread Playworks to more kids across the state, she jumped at it. It’s not too often a principal turns Playworker, but in this case, it makes perfect sense!
