In Loving Memory of Daniel Garcia
Deputy Superintendent

With Profound Sorrow
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
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
Please share your favorite memories of a wonderful person who will be greatly missed.