Christopher High School’s top administrative post will be filled by a promotion from within, one of three changes in leadership starting next school year pairing in-house experience with 21st century learning savoir.
Starting in July, retiring Principal Patricia Jolly will be replaced by Paul Winslow, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, following the unanimous decision of three interview panels. Other major changes are in store for GUSD’s top leadership. Sonia Flores was appointed by the district to lead GECA as principal to replace outgoing principal Mary Ann Boylan. Christine Anderson, former vice-principal at Gilroy High School, was selected by the board to lead Pat Rucker Elementary School, replacing soon-to-be retired principal Jan Boehme.
Gilroy Unified School District President Mark Good said that while the current leadership in particular at CHS and GECA was excellent, he thinks the new principals are going to bring new chapters to move the district forward.
“I’m sorry to see both go,” Good said, adding that he is also energetic to see young, energetic and new ideas emerging during the transition.
New Cougar leader
Board members praised all three including Winslow for their experience and expertise.
“(Winslow) was by far and away the best applicant for the job,” said Gilroy Unified School District Board member Jaime Rosso. “Every challenge that he has been taking on, he has excelled at, and we have every expectation that he will continue that because he is an exceptional teacher, administrator and an exceptional person with high integrity and highly regarded by his own staff and students.”
Winslow, the former CHS English Department Chair and last year’s graduation commencement staff speaker, was promoted to Jolly’s assistant position alongside CHS Assistant Principal Greg Kapaku, who is in charge of discipline, after Jolly took the helm at the high school in June of 2013.
Winslow will also follow in the footsteps of the $110 million high school’s first principal John Perales, who started in 2008, moving to the GUSD district office and later into a position as San Benito High School District Superintendent.
Jolly said Winslow’s combination of a varied business and educational background coupled with a technology-oriented approach will help propel Christopher High School maximize 21st century tools.
“I knew he was the person to be able to move us forward to where kids should be,” said Jolly, retiring after 38 years in education. “Mr. Paul Winslow was one of our founding team members in 2009, and he has been an integral part of that team from the very beginning.”
Winslow, a founding teacher at the Cougar campus, is a past English Department Chair at CHS who was instrumental in developing a four-year database to track and monitor students through post-secondary education from day one. With no systems instruction to monitor the newly implemented community service program requirements, he also coded a community service database that went districtwide. Winslow has also been actively involved in the school’s online academy and was recognized by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation for his efforts. In addition, Winslow wrote and operates the district’s elementary report card system. Winslow also served as past president of the Gilroy Teachers Association.
Jolly said Winslow’s administration “will undoubtedly lead Christopher High School to reach the next level in 21st Century teaching and learning.”
“He will provide the leadership and organizational skills to maintain what has already been accomplished and he will continue to set new and exciting goals for Christopher High School,” Jolly said.
Prior to his involvement with GUSD, Winslow worked in retail management, finance and in the service industry, along with spending three years in the video game industry at Namco. He also owned and operated a language institute with his wife, Mariam, in Europe.
When asked about goals moving forward, Winslow cited the movement toward a common core curriculum, maintaining the culture developed on campus and implementing technology, for example, with the unrolling of new ChromeBooks next school year. Education-wise, Jolly said she is pleased with Winslow’s competence with the international model of teaching, which will be of value to the district.
“Common core is something we want to embrace,” Winslow said.
Part of forward movement means standing still. For educators like Winslow with a pre-laid path of community spirit laid by founding administrators such as Jolly and Perales, maintaining the culture of team leadership, high academic achievement, a supportive family environment and student-centered school pride is paramount.
“I think the big push this year has to be to maintain the culture we’ve had since day one,” Winslow said. “As Patty leaves, how do we maintain the amazing things we have already built? It’s going to be a huge priority because we don’t want to make a transition and then step back; we want to keep moving forward.”
Since its founding, the student body at CHS has grown from 660 students to just under 1,800 this year and will climb to 1,850 in year six. When asked about future challenges, Winslow cited preservation of campus culture and relations.
“I think for me the biggest challenge is: How do we preserve what we’ve fought so hard for? With the connections we have with the community, relationships we have with parents at the rate we’re growing.” he said.
Winslow said a new assistant principal would come online for the 2014-15 school year.
Other changes in the district
GUSD Superintendent of Schools Deborah Flores said that all three retiring principals did a great job and while she is sad to see them go, it was at a point in their life where they’re ready to retire.
“We’ve replaced them with three great choices for these principalships,” Flores said. “What’s particularly exciting about it is that two of our own are moving into the principal position.”
GUSD selected Kanani Pratt to take Anderson’s place at GHS as assistant principal, and the district is in the process of recruiting for the vacant assistant principal position at CHS.
Kanani is an exceptional social sciences teacher at GHS, Flores said. She has served as department chair for a number of years and coordinates the Advanced Placement program for GHS. She was the WASC Coordinator and has taken on many other leadership roles over the years at GHS and will be a strong addition to the GHS administrative team, according to Flores.
Flores said it’s a bonus adding that the district has a whole cadre of people preparing to become top administrators. Per district policy, administrators will undergo mentorships during the transition.
GUSD board member Jaime Russo was among those to support the new principals with his vote, describing each as “absolutely top-notch.”
Also a bonus to the district, Flores said those chosen happen to be very strong in technology and common core.
“They will do a great job of leading the schools into the 21st century,” Flores said. “We are expecting a very smooth transition.”
More information
Be sure to stay tuned into the Gilroy Dispatch for updates from each of the new principals and retirees.
