Back to school

Christine Carrillo

Some of his new students suggested that he take up surfing to really

acclimate himself to California. Others expressed their concerns

about needing more pizza days at school.

But for Stacy Holmes, it wasn’t their suggestions or concerns that

did it. Simply interacting with students once again was all he needed

to make his first day a great one.

For Holmes, the new principal at Kaiser Elementary School, going

back to school was exactly what he wanted. On Monday, that’s what he

got.

“They were looking [for a principal] at the same time, and I was

looking [for a job], and we just ran into each other,” said Holmes,

54, who beat out more than 40 applicants. “It’s been great. ... It’s

the most exiting and fun job in education.”

With more than 30 years of experience in education, primarily on

the East Coast, Holmes knows what he’s talking about.

“We’re thrilled to have him, and I think it will be a wonderful

fit for Kaiser,” said Susan Despenas, assistant superintendent of

elementary education for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

“Kaiser’s an excellent school and has wonderful parent support. ...

He’ll be able to work with, refine, enhance and enrich what we

already have at Kaiser.”

Having served in positions varying from principal to

superintendent, Holmes said he hopes to meet those expectations and

more. He’s ready to tackle any challenges that lie ahead.

“Learning California culture and Newport-Mesa culture is quite a

learning curve,” said Barbara Harrington, who served as interim

principal at Kaiser since September. “Being the educational leader

... there’s just a lot to do, so you have to be a jack-of-all-trades.

“[I would say], just be highly visible to parents, teachers and

kids, that’s the key,” Harrington said. “And find that fine line

between the paper work and the people work.”

Taking advantage of the California climate and the warm welcome

from his students, Holmes had no trouble jumping right in. Holmes has

already started to make Kaiser his new home, greeting his students

before the morning bell and eating lunch with them.

“Education has a lot of terrific things that go on that don’t

always get passed along,” he said. “It’s really up to people like me

... to make sure those things get passed along ... I’m excited.”