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Former Valley teacher returns as principal

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Valley Elementary School started the new school year with a new principal several weeks ago — who was happy to return to his former school.

Ricardo Ceceña came to Valley Elementary as its new principal for the 2015-16 school year from Park Village Elementary in Rancho Peñasquitos, where he served in the role for ten years.

He replaces Valley’s former principal Andrew Johnsen, who is now an assistant superintendent in the Lakeside Union School District. Johnsen was principal at Valley Elementary for 8 years.

Ceceña has been working in the district for about 17 years, including several years working at Valley Elementary in the summer intersession program, in the school’s dual-language program in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “It’s like coming home,” said Ceceña.

Ceceña earned his bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies from San Diego State University and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Alliant International University. He has also taught in San Diego city schools and in the National School District in National City.

Ceceña said that coming from Park Village to Valley Elementary has been a transition. “It’s been about developing strong relationships with the staff, the community and with the kids,” he said. “It’s been great. The community has been very supportive. The kids are hardworking and energetic, and the staff is very dedicated. It’s been a great three weeks so far.”

He hasn’t made any real changes so far and doesn’t have any plans to do so. “It’s about meeting everybody, doing a lot of listening and asking a lot of questions (this year),” said Ceceña. “The Valley team is a winning team and I’m learning a lot about them, just like I did at Park Village. There isn’t a day I don’t learn something.”

Ceceña said his goal is to be visible, get out into the community and work with all the groups and important stakeholders. “This is a year of learning and carrying on the good work that has already been started here at Valley,” he said.

One aspect of the school he’s excited about is its dual-language program. “We’re the only school in the district that has a dual-language immersion program,” said Ceceña. “I was a bilingual teacher, and now it’s so exciting to be an administrator of a bilingual program. When students leave here, they are bilingual and biliterate.”

Ceceña said he would like to see Valley’s dual-language immersion program expand to other schools in the district. “We need to grow second language education at the elementary level,” he said. “The optimal years to learn a language are from birth to about 10. I hope we can grow the program. There’s a need for it.”

Ceceña said there is a long wait-list at the school for kids to get into the dual-language program at Valley Elementary.

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