Bill Sachau’s office is small for a principal of an elementary
school, but it suits his philosophy about being an administrator at
Sunnyslope School.
Bill Sachau’s office is small for a principal of an elementary school, but it suits his philosophy about being an administrator at Sunnyslope School.
“I just want to get to know everybody,” he said, of spending most of his time around campus instead of in his office. “When I was here before I knew every student by name and I want to do that again. I’m not one to hang out in here all day long.”
He makes it a point to get into the classroom at least twice a week. One of his favorite things to do is read to the students, he said, describing himself as a really animated reader.
Sachau first worked at Sunnyslope School nearly 17 years ago as a custodian. He had graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in law enforcement. He and his then-girlfriend Evelyn, who is now his wife, moved to Hollister, where her family lives, with plans to get married. He couldn’t find a job as a police officer, so he took the custodian job.
“I needed a job because we were getting married,” he said. “It had benefits. I ended up there two years, which was longer than I expected. But it was a good job.”
During his tenure, Sachau volunteered at the Hollister Police Department’s property and evidence room, pursuing his interest in law enforcement.
When a day custodian job opened at Gabilan Hills, he took it, and enrolled at Gavilan College for a level 2 police certification program.
But while at Gabilan Hills, he had a chance to organize intramural sports for the students and began interacting with them more.
“I realized I wanted to be a teacher,” he said.
His first classroom gig came up two weeks into the school year when there was an opening for a first-grade teacher. He took it, teaching with an emergency credential. He taught first grade for five years, before he took a job with special education and worked on completing his teaching credential. After finishing his credential, he taught second grade for four years.
For three summers, he served as the principal of summer school programs and he served as the district-wide supervisor of summer school one year. During another summer, he oversaw the migrant education program. He has also worked as the coordinator of special projects at Gabilan Hills and the Hollister Dual Language Academy, a job he said is similar to that of a vice principal.
Sachau knew he wanted to apply for the Sunnyslope principal position as soon as he heard about it in fall of 2010, but he wanted to finish his commitment to Gabilan Hills and HDLA for the 2010-11 school year. When he did apply for the job, he got it.
“It feels like coming home,” he said.
Sachau said he looks forward to sharing his custodian-to-principal story with the students, when the time is right, telling them that with hard work people can achieve their dreams. His own children, Marisa, 11, and William, 7, already know the story. Marisa was the one who encouraged her dad to share it with the community.
Sachau has snapshots of his children up on one side of his office, as well as his framed degree from CSU, Fresno. He also has Boston Red Sox pictures and a Red Sox pennant up on the wall, and wears a Red Sox lanyard around his neck. While Sachau is from Southern California, he said he’s been a fan of the team since he was 6 years old. When the team won the World Series in 2004, that was the year his son was born.
“It was a good year,” he said.
See the full story in the Pinnacle.
