Source: Carmel Valley News
Source: http://dmusd.org/hills/news/openNewsfeed.aspx?newsfeedid=1204
By Matt Liebowitz
Her route to become the new principal of Del Mar Hills Academy has had some stops along the way, but Susan Fitzpatrick knew all along she’d end up doing what she loves.
On Oct. 22, the Del Mar Union School District named Fitzpatrick as the new principal for Del Mar Hills. She will replace Vince Jewell, who has been acting as interim principal since the departure late this past summer of former principal Laurie Francis, who left to take a job as principal of Carmel Valley Middle School.
“I’m looking forward to working with the close-knit community at Del Mar Hills,” said Fitzpatrick, who met with the school’s teachers and staff for the first time on Oct. 30.
She also conveyed her enthusiasm with the arts and science programs offered at the Hills, and said, as incoming principal, she is eager to learn “the culture and community of the school, and what the community values and sees as their needs.”
Fitzpatrick comes to Del Mar Hills with impressive professional credentials: from since 2006, she has served as principal of Breeze Hill Elementary School in the Vista Unified School District. From 1994 to 2000, Fitzpatrick taught in the Riverside School District; from 2000 to 2006, she held administrative positions in the same district, including assistant principal and interim principal.
While at Riverside, Fitzpatrick received the Superintendent’s Award for Excellence and was named part of “Inland Empire Women Who Make a Difference.”
As a principal, Fitzpatrick guided the introduction and implementation of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model, the goal of which is to enhance the effectiveness of the school program for the students’ benefit.
The use of the PLC model at Breeze Hill Elementary resulted in a 41-point gain on the California Standards Test schoolwide and a gain of 68 points for English Language Learners. (Del Mar Schools implemented the PLC model in 2006).
Including teaching positions in Brighton, Colorado, Fitzpatrick has taught for about 10 years total, in every grade from first to sixth.
Fitzpatrick earned a master of arts in education administration from National University, and holds a “Gifted and Talented Education Certificate” from the University of California, Riverside. Fitzpatrick has finished her doctoral coursework in education leadership at the University of La Verne and is working on her dissertation.
Fitzpatrick’s career hasn’t always been focused on education; in the ’80s and early ’90s she worked in the corporate world, and even spent two years (1988-1989) as the co-owner of a Cattle Ranch near Bend, Oregon.
Despite the circuitous route, Fitzpatrick’s position at Del Mar Hills is the product of a lifelong plan.
“All I ever wanted to do was be an educator,” said Fitzpatrick, who has two sons (ages 23 and 34), and one granddaughter, all of whom live in Southern California. “It was a mid-life awareness. I thought, ‘I want to do what I’ve always wanted to.’ I gave it all up and followed my passion.”
Fitzpatrick’s start date at Del Mar Hills is yet to be determined (as of this writing).
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