Hello, Golden Bears!

It is my pleasure and truly an honor to introduce myself as the new principal of Mountain View Elementary School. Serving here in this role is exciting for me – I get to come back to the place where I first started with Clovis Unified to work with an amazing, dedicated staff in this dynamic and diverse community. I look forward to developing relationships with all of you as we continue the traditions of leading with heart, spirit, and pride.

My path to this role has been a fulfilling one, and I absolutely consider my placement here to be the peak of my career. After spending ten years in the business world, I began teaching at West Fresno Elementary School in 1998. It was an incredible experience for me there – a fun story that you may get to hear some time. After a couple years teaching fifth grade out there, I was given the opportunity to interview, and was subsequently hired, here at Mountain View. Two years later, I was asked to help open Riverview where I then taught for another ten years before moving into administration. I spent seven years as the GIS at Riverview before being tapped to be the Learning Director over Student Services, Choir, and Visual Arts at the Clovis North Educational Center. The three years I spent in that position were incredible but returning to an elementary site was always the goal, and I am

ecstatic that this is where I’ve landed.

Some personal history – I grew up in Clovis, but my father’s career took us out of town before I ever hit high school. I graduated from Los Banos High School, attended Fresno State, a couple community colleges, and National University where I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I’ve been married for 26 years, and we have two children. Our daughter will be going into her junior year at Fresno State while our son will enter his sophomore year at Clovis North. Both excel at music and making their dad a little crazy sometimes…

I was asked during the interview process what my vision was for Mountain View. My response was this: I want Mountain View to be the school every parent wished their kid went to. I want our students to push themselves to levels they didn’t think they could make – to enjoy their growth and successes and to learn and become stronger through their failures. I want our students to set the mark for academic progress and to be the ones whose

character always shows through. Those aren’t little goals – it’s hard to push yourself, it’s tough to fail – but who we truly are comes out in those moments, and I want to send our kids out into the world with the confidence and grit that comes with persevering through challenges.

I’d like to hold a meet-and-greet in the week or two before school starts where we can start to get to know each other. Something simple later one afternoon like coffee or ice cream where we can chat, I can tell you some of the “how I came to be” (most if it’s my dad’s fault), and I can start to learn about your families, too. I’ll send out updates about those plans as we move through the summer. In the meantime, if you have questions for me or just want to touch base, please feel free to email me ([email protected]), or if you happen to be on campus for summer school, swing by and say hello – I’m on campus Monday through Thursday until at least 2:30.

I look forward to growing in my role as part of the Golden Bear family and developing the positive relationships that can help our kids be the best they can in mind, body, and spirit. Have a great summer, and I’ll see you all soon!

Tom Wright Principal

Mountain View Elementary School