Adrienne Peralta, Ed.D.

Principal

Rio Del Valle Middle School

4 Years as Rio Del Valle Principal

8 Years as Administrator

18 Years as Teacher

This is Dr. Peralta’s 4th school year as principal of Rio Del Valle. Previously she served as assistant principal at Rio Vista Middle School. Prior to her work in administration she served as a 6th-8th grade teacher of math, science, and ELD. 

Dr. Peralta earned her Bachelor’s at UCLA in Latin American Studies, Master’s in Elementary Education, and Doctorate in Educational Leadership both at California State University Northridge.  

Adrienne is deeply committed to family and community and to building ramps for all children and families to achieve academic success. Having worked in our community and schools for years, she has developed keen senses for what our schools and community need to develop and grow. Dr. Peralta combines her unique blend of systems thinking and relationship building with strong and persevering leadership and these efforts have yielded improvement and coherence in support of excellence in learning and teaching. 

Principal Peralta is a great example of “leader as learner.” She realizes that a professional grows when they learn and she continues to pursue and develop new knowledge that can support her work as both school manager and instructional leader. Adrienne combines mind and heart in pursuit of supporting teachers and children to find acceptance, growth, and excellence in all their pursuits.   

 We asked Dr. Peralta the three questions and her responses were as follow;

 

  • What do you think matters most to children when they attend school?

 

I believe that at the middle school level students want to feel safe, heard, and respected.  Middle school is the beginning of the transition from a child to an adolescent/young teen. They have incredible insight and a great deal of passion, all of which they want to share, but are unsure of how to do so.  This age is beautiful, yet challenging for them. As adults we need to create and nurture spaces for them to speak, share, and learn. Their world is fast paced and messages come at them from every direction – t.v, technology, music, friends, etc… It is incumbent on us to help them decipher these messages, and provide them opportunities to help them develop the skills they will need to thrive.

 

  • How has your leadership changed over time and experience?

 

Over the past 8 years my leadership has been impacted by the 

experiences I have had with our students, families, staff, and community.  I have a greater understanding of their needs, and of the responsibility we have as a team of educators to create a positive and nurturing environment.  Leadership is a word that defines how people work together. I want to be a leader in the sense that I will leverage my skills in such a way that they in turn leverage the skills of others.  I expect that as the world around me changes so will my leadership skills. In order to be an effective leader you must be willing to change with the tides.  

 

  • What has working in schools meant to you in terms of your own development as a person, mother, and citizen?

 

I cannot put into words the deep commitment I have for those that I serve – students, families, my colleagues.  My work has impacted every corner of who I am. As a teacher and administrator I have had a multitude of experiences, these have impacted how I see the world.  They have taught me to appreciate, love deeply, serve sincerely, and to work harder every day. It holds me to high standards, and it makes me expect more of myself.  I expect to always do better, I expect that we as a whole can always do better for one another. It has taught me to see things from another’s perspective, and to use this knowledge to find commonalities and spaces in which to work well with others.  This work is the best kind of work. The responsibility of this work is great, and sometimes the challenges even greater, but the satisfaction it provides is immeasurable. I cannot see myself outside of a school, it is who I am. 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
You need to agree with the terms to proceed

Skip to content