As she filled her drawers with pencils and pens, and positioned
the tape dispenser and stapler in arms reach, Debbie Padilla added
something to her desk that she’s never had before – a name plate
that says
”
principal.
”
As she filled her drawers with pencils and pens, and positioned the tape dispenser and stapler in arms reach, Debbie Padilla added something to her desk that she’s never had before – a name plate that says “principal.”
As the new head honcho of San Benito High School, Padilla is excited to greet students Monday, and said she’s spent a lot of time researching the school and community, making sure she’s up to speed on the local happenings.
“I came out on my own for four or five days to talk with parents and students, and get acquainted with the community,” she said. “I also pulled up four years of research online, regarding test scores and academic achievement.”
Although this is her first time being a principal, Padilla’s career in education reaches back 14 years, and she’s fluent in Spanish. In 1990 she began teaching at Mission High School in San Francisco, then went on to Balboa High School and later relocated to junior high school at Martin Murphy in Morgan Hill. It was there that she realized working with high school students was a better fit for her. In 2000, she left Martin Murphy and took a vice principal position at Live Oak High School. After four years there, Padilla realized she was ready for the responsibility of a principal position, and said she really liked what she saw at SBHS.
“I grew up in Sacramento and went to a really large high school, so coming here is sort of like going back to my roots,” she said. “I also really like that this is a one district high school, and a tight-knit community.”
The fact that SBHS is a big school is a plus, Padilla said, because it offers something for everyone.
“It allows us to think outside the box and not do a one-size-fits-all for our students,” she said.
“It’s big enough where we can offer programs for everyone, and that provides the ground work for people to find a place here.”
Even though she won’t meet the student body until Monday, Padilla said she is already trying to find ways to make the big school more personal so students don’t feel like they’re just a number on the attendance sheet.
“I’m working with the teachers and the staff, and I’ve challenged them to find at least one student each, and make a strong connection with them, finding out what their needs are.”
