New Clovis Unified superintendent challenges employees to be ‘difference-makers’
Clovis Unified’s new school superintendent wants all employees to “Be the Difference” in the lives of children this year.
That means continuing to improve student academics, but also paying attention to the social and emotional needs of the district’s 42,000 students as well, said Eimear O’Farrell who delivered her first back-to-school message as superintendent Tuesday at the Save Mart Center, where the district’s annual general session back-to-school rally was held.
Clovis Unified students return to class on Monday, Aug. 21.
O’Farrell was hired by the district in 1993 and worked as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent for the Clovis West High School region before she was picked in a statewide search to replace Superintendent Janet Young, who announced her retirement in April.
“What we’re really talking about is how can we best address the needs of our students whether it’s being the difference-maker academically, for them on the field, being the difference-maker for them with regard to social emotional needs…those needs take a lot of forms,” O’Farrell said.
And it’s not just the responsibility of administrators and teachers to help students, she said. It could be the bus driver who has a connection with a student or the cafeteria worker who serves breakfast in the morning.
“Being the difference is nothing new for our Clovis Unified team, but as a theme it certainly is a reminder to us that every day we are difference-makers,” O’Farrell said.
In an interview after the rally, O’Farrell said other goals this year are to increase efficiency and effectiveness, which includes creating a district app. She also wants to work with universities and other educational programs to hire a diverse workforce.
About 5,000 Clovis Unified employees attended the rally – a glow party of sorts – where some people wore glowing pink kitten ears, cowboy hats with blinking green lights and waved large glow sticks in the air.
“Every year (the rally) gets better and better,” said Tyler Garner, a member of the Clovis East grounds crew who has worked in the district for 10 years. Garner held a large “wolf pack” sign with blinking lights.
Garner worked with O’Farrell in the Clovis West area. “She’s great, very smart, very witty,” Garner said. “It’s great to have her at the helm.”
Vannessa Leon, a special education instructional aide and class adviser at Clovis High School, looks forward to the new year with O’Farrell.
“Dr. O’Farrell has been in the district and understands the traditions and values,” Leon said. “She will be a great person to carry out that tradition and to continue to grow with everything that is coming at us education wise and society wise.”
BoNhia Lee: 559-441-6495, @bonhialee
Fun Facts about O’Farrell
- She is a native of Dublin, Ireland, and has an Irish accent.
- She was a sailor and an Irish dancer.
- She has two daughters. One graduated from Clovis Unified and one is a high school junior.
This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "New Clovis Unified superintendent challenges employees to be ‘difference-makers’."