Alisal has only had two female principals in its history – Candy McCarthy and now Christina Perez. “Being someone who came from this school and this community, that’s a real sense of pride,“ Perez said.
Perez is a former student of the class of 1990, so she isn’t new to Alisal’s culture and community. After graduating high school, she went straight to Hartnell for two years and transferred from there to Sacramento State, majoring in behavioral and social science. “I decided to go to Hartnell because back in my day that’s what everyone else did and Sac State was a very diverse campus, which I liked a lot,” Perez said.
After graduating from Sac State, she started working at El Sausal from 2000-2005 teaching social studies and AVID. She then went on to teach world history here and AVID from grades 9-12. “I really liked teaching world history because you have the opportunity to teach students about different cultures and religions so that kids have a different perspective and also be able to form their own opinions,” she said.
Working with the students and the staff was her favorite part of the job before becoming an administrator. Being able to connect with everyone on a personal level was what really made her enjoy being a teacher. “I miss being with the kids all the time,” Perez said. “Now, my favorite part of my day is going to lunch because I get to interact with some of them again.”
After being a teacher she became an intervention specialist and a class advisor in 2009-2011 and went on to be an administrator in 2012. “When I was a teacher, an intervention specialist, and a class advisor all of the kids knew me well. But, when I became an assistant principal, over time the kids began to know me less,” Perez said.
After serving as an assistant principal for 5 years, she got an opportunity to be the principal at La Paz Middle School in 2017. She was the principal for one year and came back to Alisal to continue being an assistant principal. “I preferred being here than La Paz because I got used to the pace of high school and I was also able to be with the kids for a longer period of time,” Perez said.
Having had some experience being a principal makes her more comfortable now and gives her more confidence. “She’s definitely more qualified and prepared to be principal. I think it was her time and she was always an amazing colleague to be around,” Assistant Principal Tiffany Ayala said.
While being a teacher, she realized that she loved working with the students in Alisal and it was her duty to make sure that everyone got what they needed. “Something I really like about Alisal that is different from La Paz is its difference in culture.”
According to Perez, Alisal is known for its very vibrant community, its “Trojan Pride”. It’s having the Trojan Traits which are responsible, respectful, and safe. Not only does she want every student to receive all the aid they need, she wants the same for our staff.
Due to the pandemic our school hasn’t been as lively as it used to be, but Perez wants to get back to that feeling. “Reinvigorating the spirit, Trojan pride, and community is something that I highly value,“ Perez said. “As well as ensuring that our academics remain the way they are.“
