Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current, August 17, 2018, Page PAGE A8, Image 8

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    PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 17, 2018
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Cummings principal wants to inspire
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Magda Romero had no in-
tentions of going to college
after graduating from Dayton
High School.
But her school counselor
had other plans.
“She completed a scholar-
ship for me and got me go-
ing,” Romero said. “It was just
never in my mind to do higher
education. That was just not
something that my family
talked about.”
Now, as the new principal
of Cummings Elementary,
Romero wants to encour-
age kids in the same way the
school counselor did for her.
“That’s what I love about
my job is to just start planting
those seeds and telling people
if I can do it, you should be
able to do it,” Romero said.
Romero’s journey to be-
coming a principal started as
an offi ce manager at an el-
ementary school in McMin-
nville. It was there where she
was encouraged to go back to
school to become a teacher.
After fi nishing what she had
started about 10 years earlier,
getting her associate’s degree
from Chemeketa Community
College, Romero enrolled in
the Bilingual Teacher Path-
way program at Portland State
University.
Her fi rst job was at Rich-
mond Elementary in Sa-
lem, where she taught third
through fi fth grade for nine
years.
“I never intended to be-
come administration,” Rome-
ro said. “I think it’s all because
I wanted to be able to advo-
cate for kids and families and
encourage them do what I do
“This is the
sweetest
place they
could have
asked me to
come to.”
— Magda Romero
and believe that you can have
it.”
Romero saw she could make
a bigger impact as a principal
so she went back to school and
got her master’s in special edu-
cation at Portland State.
She spent the 2017-18
school year as an assistant prin-
cipal, working part-time at
Keizer and Chavez Elementary
schools.
Cummings is her fi rst prin-
cipal job.
“This is the sweetest place
they could have asked me to
come to,” Romero said. “I
feel so fortunate to be here at
Cummings because they have
a really strong community.
The neighborhood association
is amazing. The PTC is out-
standing. They’re relentless in
working to provide the school
with whatever it is they need.
The staff, a lot of them have
been here a long time. I’m re-
ally excited to be here and
feel really lucky that it’s such a
strong community and a good
school.”
Romero isn’t looking to
make any immediate changes.
“I don’t feel like it’s my
school,” she said. “I feel like I’m
going to catch the train as its
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Magda Romero, of Dayton, is the new principal at Cummings Elementary after spending last year as the assistant principal at
Keizer Elementary and Chavez Elementary.
going and I want to ride the
ride with them.”
Romero, who has three
children of her own, has asked
the faculty at Cummings to
share photos of their families
on a wall in her offi ce.
“Family is really important,”
Romero said. “ I want to not
just get to know them but get
to know who their family is
and what drives them is really
important to me. That’s what I
like about Cummings is it feels
like a family.”
Cummings is hosting an
open house on Tuesday, Sept.
4 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Romero
looks forward to meeting all
the families.
“I’ve always loved kids and
I feel so lucky,” Romero said.
“I would do this for free. I re-
ally would because I love kids
so much.”
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