New principal to head Blanchard Elementary School in the fall
April 20, 2016
Santa Paula News
The Santa Paula Unified School District announced the selection of Glen City School Assistant Principal, Ana Rodriguez, as the incoming principal of Blanchard Elementary School starting in the fall of the 2016-2017 school year. The current principal, Patti Fulbright, is set to retire at the end of the current school year.
“As the new principal, it’s a big responsibility and an awesome challenge,” Rodriguez said. She has been at Glen City School since 2010. “Leaving is bittersweet. I love the staff, students, and faculty at Glen City.”
Superintendent Alfonso Gamino congratulated Rodriguez and was impressed with her selection as principal of Blanchard School because she understands the students and the needs of the community.
“Ana understands that excellence in education starts with the people that work at the school site. She treats everyone with respect and has high expectations for herself.”
Rodriguez was born in Managua, Nicaragua and later immigrated to the United States. She attended Los Angeles County schools and eventually graduated from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor degree in Psychology. She obtained an M.A. in Educational Leadership from California State University Channel Islands.
Starting her teaching career as a Kindergarten Instructional Assistant with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Rodriguez was also a substitute teacher at Burbank Unified School District. She later moved to Oxnard where she held a variety of part-time teaching positions within the Oxnard School District as an intervention teacher, Kindergarten push-in teacher, substitute teacher, a Saturday School teacher, and an adult ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher.
Rodriguez said she has new ideas she wants to share with the staff at Blanchard School, but she also wants to have an open dialog to listen and learn about the school’s needs as well as its successes to build upon into the future.
“We need to work as a team with the mission to provide the best education for our students,” she said. “I can’t view myself as the only one in charge. I want to build a team so the children can reap the benefits.”
Rodriguez came to SPUSD in 2005 as a 5th grade teacher at Blanchard Elementary School. It was her first full-time teaching job. She views her new position as principal as going back to where it all started for her in the District.
“I am going back to my roots. To my beginnings,” she said.
