Huntington Park High School has welcomed a new assistant principal for the 2026-2027 school year, Christina Kontolefas, who brings years of experience in education and a passion for helping students succeed.
Before joining Huntington Park, Ms. Kontolefas worked as an assistant principal at two schools, Orchard Elementary School of Arts and Media and Bell High School. She also worked at Southeast High School as a problem-solving coordinator and special education teacher , as well as Markham Middle School in Watts.
Ms. Kontolefas explained becoming an assistant principal was not something she planned from the beginning. Instead, she described herself as a lifelong learner who enjoys challenging herself. Over time, her leadership qualities developed and eventually led her to pursue administration.
However, her interest in education started when she was young. She remembers being inspired by teachers who were kind, caring and supportive. Her first-grade teacher especially helped and inspired her to become a teacher herself.
As an English Learner herself, Ms. Kontolefas struggled with reading and writing when she was younger. After receiving tutoring and spending extra time practicing, she eventually developed a love for reading. She even recorded herself reading and listened back to identify mistakes so she could improve. English became an important part of her life. Hence, outside of school, Ms. Kontolefas especially enjoys reading.
Among other things, she also enjoys going to the beach, traveling, meditation and yoga. She also likes attending athletic events, including LAFC games and Huntington Park sports. In terms of traveling, she often visits Greece, and has traveled to Puerto Rico to see Bad Bunny perform. In the future, she hopes to visit Thailand someday as well.
One unique connection she has to Huntington Park is its Spartan identity, which holds a special meaning for her due to her family’s roots in Sparta, Greece. She visits Sparta every summer, making Huntington Park’s Spartan identity a meaningful connection to both her family heritage and her community.
“I love that we’re Spartans,” Ms. Kontolefas said. “I’ve always been a Spartan, so I feel like I’m home.”
Since arriving, Ms. Kontolefas said she has been impressed by the school’s beautiful campus and the kindness and ambition she has seen from students and staff. Her goal is to help students receive a high-quality education while also feeling connected to their school. She hopes to encourage students to be kind to themselves and not compare their progress to others.
“Show up each day. That’s the first step,” she said. “We’re all on a journey, so don’t compare yourself to others. It’s you against you.”
When asked how she hopes students remember her years from now, Ms. Kontolefas said she wants to be remembered as someone who supported and inspired students to become better versions of themselves.
And if she could choose a career outside of education ?
She’d trade the classroom track for the racetrack and become a race car driver and prove that behind every educator is someone with a serious need for speed. Ka-chow!
Born a Spartan, Raised a Spartan, Inspiring Spartans!
Written by Malorie Ochoa, Staff Writer