Oakland – October is now more than half over, but there is still plenty of time to celebrate an annual tradition. October is National Principals Month, and it’s a time when OUSD celebrates the amazing school leaders we have at sites across the District. According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals, “Principals are among the hardest working, yet often least recognized individuals in education. Principals set the academic tone for their schools, and it is their vision, dedication, and determination that provide the mobilizing force for achieving student success.”
For additional perspective on what principals are and do, here are some thoughts from OUSD principals. “It’s really hard to describe in a job description for what we do. There are moments when a principal like myself can become the cafeteria staff, or a part of the custodial team, or part of the clerical team, or even substituting so you’re sort of a teacher. So really as a principal it’s about being someone who can navigate the day to day roles that happen at a school site,” said new Crocker Highlands Elementary School Principal, Dr. Dung Kim Nguyen. “It makes you grow. There are things that arise every day, and you have to be able to transform yourself into the person who can solve that problem,” said Dewey Academy high school Principal, Staci Ross-Morrison. “You are the mayor of a small town, and no one voted for you,” laughed Elmhurst United Middle School Principal, Kilian Betlach.
So, in this National Principals Month, we introduce you to five school leaders at elementary, middle, and high schools across OUSD.
Anita Iverson-Comelo, a graduate of Oakland High School, is now in her seventh year as Principal at Bridges Academy at Melrose. “If you build a team, and I think we have a really good team at Bridges – and it wasn’t like that in the beginning when I started – if you build a good team, then you’re not alone, everyone steps up. You know, the custodians step up to do more than what they do. They are mentors to children. Our teacher leaders step up to take on different parts that they normally may not take on. Teachers take on roles. If the vision is compelling, and you build people’s capacity, and you appreciate them, and build this culture of appreciation, and everyone is feeling like we’re doing something important here, you don’t have to be the one doing everything.”
Kilian Betlach has been Principal at Elmhurst United Middle School since long before Elmhurst merged with the former Alliance Academy. “There has never been a year like this. I feel like the level of stress and strain and uncertainty that a first year principal has or a first year teacher has, where you’re like, I don’t know what’s about to happen next, is how everybody feels, it’s certainly how I feel, and this is my tenth year. It’s really been a lot. Obviously, there was initial joy of being back and having kids back on campus, and then there was the realization of the impact of opening school during the midst of the delta spike. And now we are working on helping young people relearn a ton of prosocial behaviors.”
Staci Ross-Morrison is in her second year as Principal at Dewey Academy high school, after having spent seven years as Principal and eight years as Assistant Principal at Oakland Technical High School. She was also a teacher for eight years at Garfield Elementary. “I always impress upon (my staff) that we have to be lifelong learners. And every professional development I bring forward there is always something that teachers can take, a strategy, a graphic organizer, something, that I teach them. Somewhere in that PD, I teach them what it is I’m trying to teach them, I give them their learning target, and examples of how they can reproduce this in their classroom, and I can say my first, second and third year as principal, I wasn’t able to think like that. Now, because of my experience, even when I see things, or I sit in meetings, I always make a note of how I can use this with my staff. And I really just hope that they have bought into the idea that we are lifelong learners because that’s what we want for our kids.”
In the 2021-22 school year, OUSD has 13 new K-12 principals, including Dr. Nguyen at Crocker Highlands and Edgar Ramirez at Garfield Elementary. Dr. Nguyen is a product of Oakland schools, having attended the former E. Morris Cox Elementary, Elmhurst Middle School, and Castlemont High School. Through Teach For America, she taught at Elmhurst. Nguyen later became an Assistant Principal at Oakland Technical High School. She served as a Principal at two schools in Union City before coming to lead Crocker Highlands. “I think what is the most rewarding part of being a school principal is really getting to see the growth that your students experience during the school year,” Nguyen said. “For me, I started my career as a school administrator at what I call the end of the spectrum, which is high school. So, I have this perspective about where students are going to be working towards. And this opportunity to work at the elementary level gives me what we call in education a backwards map about the plan and the pathways that we can do to support our Oakland students.”
Edgar Ramirez became Principal at Garfield Elementary this year after serving as Assistant Principal for three years. Prior to that, he taught five years at REACH Academy. “I never expected it to be easy, but I did expect it to be fun. I have a mantra or saying that I always ask when we meet as a team… I always ask what is a quick way for you for the day or the week, what is a highlight of your day, what brought you joy? This work is hard. It’s not just hard for principals, it’s hard for anyone who is here at school. And I think it’s important for us not to let go of why we’re doing this. And we’re doing this for the scholars at the end of the day. But there’s always joyful moments to find. It’s been hard, but also been very joyous, in the middle of a pandemic.”
“I cannot thank our principals enough for having led our schools through the past year and a half,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “We all know this has been a very challenging school year, and no one knows that better than our school leaders. They have led our staff and students through remarkable adversity, getting us to a much better place with regard to the pandemic, and focused every day on academics and social emotional learning, exactly where we should be. Please join me in thanking our principals during this National Principals Month.”