It is with profound sorrow that I announce the passing of our beloved Deputy Superintendent, Daniel Garcia, on the afternoon of Thursday, June 4, 2020. “Danny” was very much loved by all those who were blessed to work with him. After a highly successful career as a teacher, AP and principal in district 8, I asked him to replace me as a principal of Icahn 1, as I began to design our new schools. After recognizing his great dedication and wisdom, I asked him to serve as Deputy Superintendent. Almost instantly, we became strong colleagues and friends. We shared a vision of success for our students. We believed that for teachers to be successful, they must receive ongoing professional development, support and confidence.

Danny respected everyone and all those who came into contact with him, respected him. This is a tremendous loss for all of us. We must believe that his gentle smile, his encouragement and his wonderful nature will look down on all of us as we continue to serve and love. May G-d rest his soul.

Jeff Litt

Superintendent

Icahn Charter Schools

When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.

Our eyes, briefly,

see with

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.

Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their

radiance,

fall away.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance

of dark, cold

caves.

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

- Maya Angelou