"The elementary school is a pretty lonely place," first year principal Allan Chinn commented. That sentiment was echoed by all those in the mentorship program, and it extends to the middle school level when your assistant is a first year administrator, too. Besides having the mentor be someone to talk to confidentially, there are the added pluses of having that person be an administrator with prior experience in the school district, who is not a supervisor or someone who is judging the new administrator. It builds a strong colleagial relationship where experiences can be shared, suggestions made, and guidance provided in dealing effectively with district systems (which can be quite different from those of other districts) and resources. It's a time mentors and those being mentored can set aside for reflection and thoughtful planning.
"The principalship is harder now than when I did it," mentor Marilyn Clotz said. Which has lead her to develop a similar mentorship program, funded by the school district, for assistant principals in order to develop strength, commitment, and longevity in our administrators.
Below are the mentors and new principals in the Eugene Leadership Institute Mentorship Program this year:
Allen Chinn - 1st year principal at Yujin Gakuen (Japanese language immersion) & Corridor, both vibrant alternative elementary schools. His mentor is Carolyn Hopkins.
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Carolyn covers for Allan when he is out of the building for district meetings- here they catch up with each other during lunch duty. | 
The mentor can provide school and district history and process information, and be someone to bounce ideas off before taking steps. |
Denisa Taylor - 1st year principal at Caesar Chavez Elementary and Family School (an alternative school). Her mentor is Mike Garling.
|  Having a mentor who has also had experience in co-located schools is a real advantage when you're trying to process happenings. | 
The mentor has no agenda except to listen for needs and be supportive, from visioning and planning, to nitty gritties like scheduling and staffing. |
| Suzanne Price - 1st year principal at Kelly/da Vinci Middle Schools, which also houses the Yujin Gakuen middle level program. She has a 1st year assistant principal. Her mentor is Mike Garling. | 
Suzanne's assistant principal keeps in close communication with her as he proactively problem-solves the coming events of the day. | 
Staff members appreciate their easy access to Suzanne's guidance, even when she's on her way to do before- school hall duty. |
Scott Marsh - 2nd year principal at Parker and Eastside elementary schools. Eastside, an alternative school, is slated for relocation. His mentor is Marilyn Clotz.
|  Mentoring provides a time to vent, to share ideas and get perspective. to have help in navigating through tough times. | 
The mentor not only knows pertinent systems and laws, she can also think outside the box and suggest a variety of resouces. |
Tasha Katsuda - 2nd year principal at McCornack Elementary School, one of the largest elementary schools in the district. Her mentor is Marilyn Clotz.
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A second year in the position, Tasha finds that the challenges are less operational and more complex. | 
It's comforting to be able to share challenges and dilemmas, to have someone with whom to reflect on the process of putting things together. |
Larry Williams - 1st year principal at Edgewood Elementary School, where he is working with staff to develop a dynamic reading program. His mentor is Marilyn Clotz.
|  Larry explains that his school is moving to the RTI model (Response to Interventions), which utilizes curriculum based measurements. His mentor's praise is affirming and encouraging. |  He is developing a multiple data points system to track reading progress and the effect of various strategies used in intervention for specific learning needs.. |
