The Glendale Educational Foundation and the Glendale Unified School District will celebrate the 20th annual Principal for a Day event, where community leaders serve as guest principals at GUSD schools throughout the community on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
“Guest principals” will spend the morning of the event at their assigned school sites from 8-11 a.m., then they will gather at the GUSD Administrative Center at 11:30 a.m. for a luncheon and “commencement.” During the luncheon, guest principals and school principals will have the opportunity to share their experiences in leadership roles in our community and compare management styles from the public to private sector.
The Principal for a Day event offers guest principals a taste of what it’s like to manage the complexities of a school campus. Representatives from business, industry and organizations are invited to take the reins as principal of an elementary, middle or senior high school. They visit classrooms to see teaching and learning in action, interact with students and staff, and are updated on current issues affecting public education. Guest principals are often challenged by using their own management styles in actual problem-solving situations. They learn quickly that principals and other school leaders encounter the same problems encountered in their own professional lives.
This year’s guest principals will join an elite group of professionals and community leaders who have had the privilege of taking part in this dynamic, interactive experience. More than 600 leaders from Glendale and the Foothill communities have participated in Principal for a Day over the last 20 years. Guest principals are represented from a broad array of sectors, both large and small, ranging from banking, entertainment and hospital management to law and government, real estate, retail sales and special interest areas.
School principals also appreciate the tremendous value in being able to interact and exchange ideas with business professionals and community leaders. For more information about the Principal for a Day event, contact Bethany Harrington at (626) 627-4395.
First published in the February 16 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
