After a year at Walnut High School, principal Dr. Michele Lew announced her resignation at the Wed. May 21 staff meeting due to unforeseen health issues.
Lew disclosed that her condition is a genetic disorder that requires her to maintain proper nutrition, exercise and adequate rest. However, her responsibilities as principal have made it challenging to keep the necessary lifestyle to manage her health.
“Being principal is a job I love,” Lew said. “But I always heard that being principal is like being in charge of a small city because there’s so many things going on and unfortunately, my body right now is just not in its most healthy place.”
According to Lew, she decided to step down after consulting with her doctors during spring break. After a year of hoping to manage her condition while continuing to work, Lew was warned that the stress and demands of the job could lead to serious health complications.
“Over spring break I saw my doctor and he said to me, ‘You know, Michelle, if you continue the way you’re doing, you’re going to get very sick’. That to me was kind of a wake up call [because] what’s more important? Is the job more important than your overall health?” That was when I kind of moved from resisting the idea [that] I would possibly have to resign [and] moving towards the idea that is like ‘okay, I have to put my health first,’” Lew said.
During her time as principal, Lew has made close connections with the Walnut community, receiving support from students, teachers and parents. Working in this position has allowed her to grow as a leader and establish new relationships. While she takes this time to recover and prioritize her health, Lew plans to continue staying in touch with Walnut, attending events as a spectator and supporting the community in a different capacity.
“I’ve learned so much this year being a principal,” Lew said. “The teachers here are amazing. The students here are also amazing. I [feel] that I have grown a lot as a leader, and I’ve also realized that leadership really is about a couple of basic things that I think can apply to anybody, like being kind, listening, communicating and following through.”
Lew shares that the Walnut Valley Unified School District is in the process of selecting a new principal. The process begins with reviewing applications and narrowing the applicant pool. Next, candidates are placed through several rounds of interviews consisting of a panel of administrators, teachers and staff members. These applicants may be required to take a performance test or present to the panel on a specific topic. Afterward, the top candidates are recommended to the executive cabinet of the district office, in which the executive board selects the individual for the position. For Lew, she believes that a principal must be curious and open.
“Even if the [new principal] was someone from inside our district, they’re not going to know about our school,” Lew said. “So I would say that one of the best qualities that the new principal can have is to be someone that has an open mind and a curious mind, to ask questions and to learn as much as they can. I think another quality is someone that is communicative, willing to talk with students, staff members and parent groups because I think that’s very important for a successful leader.”
Along with the vacant position, several administrative changes will be made, with instructional dean Marta Dibell and athletic director Jerry Person retiring, and instructional dean Nelson Chen taking a position as the director of Career Technical Education at San Gabriel Valley ROP. The third dean position is temporarily filled by interim dean Bob Rendon after former dean Charles Tran was put on administrative leave. The district has already appointed Dr. Ryan McDonnell and Valerie Varela as the new instructional dean and athletic director respectively.
The district office did not return messages for comment.
Although the administrative board will see a huge change, teachers at Walnut are optimistic about the school’s future as new members enter the Walnut community.
“I think one of the things that’s sad when you have so many administrators go is that the history of our school and the things that we’ve accomplished, whether it’s me personally or as a school can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, because there are no longer people who’ve watched that growth and change happen,” English teacher Jennifer Maletz said. “[However], I’m excited to see what new leadership can bring [and] hopefully we can find some new direction and move forward together as a school.”
