Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Susan von Felten Penning, new principal at Daves Avenue School, tries to fit a necklace over her head. The necklace was given to her by Eden Kelete (left) at lunch time.

Daves Avenue says new principal a perfect match

By Michelle Alaimo

Saratoga High School graduate Susan von Felten Penning has come back to the West Valley as the new principal of Daves Avenue School.

"It's like putting on an old shoe," von Felten Penning said. "It just fits."

Daves Avenue staff and parents were looking for the perfect match for their school, and they think they've found it in von Felten Penning.

Interim Principal Maury Nelson, who helped staff and parents develop a set of questions about what they were looking for in a principal, said von Felten Penning was the only one who matched what the faculty wanted.

Twenty-five questions were drawn up, focusing on professional and personal qualities such as integrity, honesty, collaborative planning and even a good sense of humor, Nelson said.

One of the most important qualities the 12-person interview team looked for was being a principal for the children. Von Felten Penning was one of five finalists interviewed, and she was chosen because she answered the questions honestly, directly and concisely, Nelson said.

Von Felten Penning, who applied for the job in September, said one thing was really different in this interview process: Eight of the panel members came to visit her at her job as coordinator of student and family services for the Merced City School District. Von Felten Penning said the panel spent one day in Merced visiting her job site and her supervisors.

Nelson said von Felten Penning was found to be perfect for the job and "really seemed to have a handle on all situations."

Von Felten Penning, who said she loves children, is glad to be back in a position where she can see children interacting and playing with each other. She said she strives to keep in touch with what is going on in the classrooms by visiting classes each day.

The mother of two said Nelson has been instrumental in helping her get a handle on her new job, which she started on Oct. 27. Nelson was principal of Daves Avenue for five years before retiring in 1991. He came back to the school late this summer after former principal Cleo Osborn took a job with the Moreland School District.

Von Felten Penning said she is eternally grateful to Nelson and the district for allowing Nelson to help her in her transition as a new principal. She added that most school districts don't allow a new principal that luxury and that in most places she has been, it has been either sink or swim.

Von Felten Penning has served in a wide variety of educational positions. She graduated from Fresno State University in 1976 with a degree in liberal arts. She stayed in Fresno after obtaining a student teaching job.

She has also taught grades 4-8 and a variety of subjects ranging from math to journalism. In 1991, she earned her master's degree in education administration and moved on to serve as principal and assistant principal at several different elementary schools in the Fremont Elementary School District. After serving as director of the Healthy Start program, von Felten Penning said she longed to spend more time on a school site with children and then began her search for a new job, bringing her back to the Bay Area.

"It's like I haven't gone away," von Felten Penning said.

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