New M-A principal hopes to 'raise the bar' for all students New M-A principal hopes to 'raise the bar' for all students (June 09, 2004)

** Open-door policy expected.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

A certain excitement is preceding the arrival of Norman Estrada, the new principal at Menlo-Atherton High School.

Mr. Estrada is taking over leadership of M-A from Eric Hartwig, who, after nine years, is leaving on June 30 to plan and head a new three-year high school at a yet-to-be-determined location in the Sequoia Union High School District.

Mr. Estrada comes to M-A from the William S. Hart Union High School District in the northern part of Los Angeles County, a district with some 18,500 students in four traditional high schools, five junior high schools, a middle college and an independent-study high school. Since October 2001, he has been principal of two high schools in the district: Saugus and Canyon.

Mr. Estrada has master's degrees in bilingual special education and bilingual education from California state universities in Bakersfield and Los Angeles, and a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a teaching credential from UCLA. He has also engaged in significant professional development and leadership training, said Debra Moore Washington, Sequoia's assistant superintendent for human relations and professional development.

The Sequoia district chose him from a field of 38 applicants who were subjected to an extensive screening process, Ms. Moore Washington said.

A personable man

Prior to Mr. Estrada's appointment to M-A, a team of 30 staff members, parents and students visited the Hart district and interviewed staff, parents and students there.

Christina Galliano -- M-A's social studies department chair and one of the interviewers -- spoke briefly about Mr. Estrada with the Almanac on her way into class last week.

"He's soft-spoken, he's an active listener, he's a collaborative decision maker, and he loves students. Everything, for him, is about the students," she said. "I think it's phenomenal. I'm very excited. He just seems so right."

Also along for the site visit was Instructional Vice Principal Steve Lippi. "The way people talked about him, the accolades people gave him, was just off the charts," Mr. Lippi said.

One anecdote concerned an evening visit by Mr. Estrada during his first month as principal to a campus print shop, where some work was ongoing. He reportedly left after a conversation about the workload, returned about an hour later with a pizza and rolled up his sleeves to help finish the job, Mr. Lippi said.

In another case, he introduced himself to the campus custodian with a visit to the custodian's office, Mr. Lippi said.

"This is an individual who clearly has an open-door policy," said Sequoia district trustee Gordon Lewin. "He's out on campus, he talks to people. He shows respect to everyone, even to the janitor. ... It really speaks a lot to who he is as a person."

Economics teacher Jim MacKenzie recalled Mr. Estrada's saying, on a humble note: "I have flaws. I don't walk on water."

Students in need

A common priority noted by teachers and staff for the coming year is the raising of standardized test scores for M-A's socio-economically disadvantaged population -- the 22 percent of M-A students in the free or reduced-price lunch program or whose parents are without high school diplomas. Test scores for these students typically lag far behind students not in such circumstances.

"Testing is a very important component," said Mr. MacKenzie. The test scores of socio-economically disadvantaged students "are reflective of what kind of job we're doing," he said. "I'm looking for some leadership. I'm hoping he can bring in something that works better for us."

Mr. MacKenzie called Mr. Estrada a "hands-on" administrator. "That's something we haven't had in the past," he said, while noting that he wasn't passing judgment on one administrative style over another.

M-A has an unusual mix of students, representing extremes of wealth and poverty and a full spectrum of academic achievement. "Norman has been in different districts that, as a composite, reflect the diversity of Menlo-Atherton," said Mr. Lewin. "My understanding is that he wants to raise the bar for everybody here."

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