Last week Cabrillo Unified School District officials announced they had selected Mary Streshly to succeed Sue Million as principal at Half Moon Bay High School. She began her work Tuesday and will be a freshman of sorts when school reconvenes in the fall.
It sounds like administrators have found a gem.
|
|
Before that, she was the coordinator of bilingual programs in the Sequoia Union School District. While there, she helped shepherd 750 English learners through the system. Many of the students at her new high school come from Spanish-speaking homes, and we think her experience in multilingual programs could prove invaluable here. Regular readers will remember the recent strained relations between some in the CUSD and Sequoia communities following a disastrous football game last year. Perhaps her history at the Redwood City school can help heal that rift in the bargain.
What’s more, Streshly is a proven classroom educator. She was named the teacher of the year in the San Marcos Unified School District in 2004. That can’t go unnoticed by teachers looking for an ally in the office.
It’s unlikely Streshly will be able to please everyone all the time. Her constituencies include teenage students, professional staff and teachers, an elected board of directors and a community torn apart by years of animosity over issues like school siting and funding. But she has earned the benefit of the doubt over a successful career in public education.
Let’s all resolve to help her with one of the toughest jobs on the coast. Welcome, Principal Streshly.
— Clay Lambert
w