BY JAN SEARS
Staff Writer - The Press-Enterprise
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Roy Cencirulo's need for a change came at just the right time.
The 25-year Redlands Unified School District educator had seen his administrative job eliminated by budget cuts caused by the poor economy and last year found himself back in a classroom, teaching fourth-graders.
Valley Preparatory School found itself in need of a new leader when its head of school departed for a "dream job" in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Cencirulo's broad experience, from classroom teacher to administrator, along with his community involvement in Redlands, made him just the right fit.
"I have certain beliefs about what is important for kids," he said Friday.
They include offering a well-rounded education. Valley Prep, a private college preparatory school, offers a wide array of electives. Public schools are losing some of those options to budget cuts.
"Our preschoolers are learning French and Spanish," he said. "By the time they're in eighth grade, many are nearly fluent."
School has been in session just a week, and he is excited to see some of the projects already under way in some of the classrooms, he said.
Finding himself back in a public school classroom last year, in charge of 35 fourth-graders, was "an eye-opener on some levels," he said.
Classes at Valley Prep, which has about 160 students, are less than half that size. This year, every student in second through eighth grade has a MacBook, paid for by parents, for use both at school and at home.
On Friday, teacher Jackie Pendery was introducing her fifth-graders to glogster, a computer program they can use to create projects. Their first assignment: Blog about something they did during summer.
"You can't just say, 'I went to Greece.' That would be really cool, but I want details," Pendery told the students. "This is your opportunity to be creative."
Some students had used the program before, but this year the school has purchased more features.
"So, we have new stuff for you to use this year," Pendery said.
"Yes," several students hissed in delight.
Pendery led the class through the log-in process and explained how to keep their blogs private, or viewable only by others in the class. She warned them to be careful about what they post.
"You can put up pictures of a favorite animal, to make your blog a little more personal, but not a photo of yourself," she said.
The students already have had class sessions on cyber-bullying and "net-iquette," proper behavior on the internet, Cencirulo said.
He and the teachers are talking about creating some new programs on campus, such as a chess club and an after-school band.
Cencirulo has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Redlands, a doctorate from La Sierra University and has taught at the university level.
He speaks Japanese and lived in Kashiwa, Japan, where he was an English consultant to the school board.
In Redlands, he is chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, a Rotary member and a board member for the United Way, Building a Generation and Redlands Sister Cities.
One of his goals is to get Valley Prep better connected in town. He hopes to establish ties with ESRI, a high-tech mapping firm in Redlands, and to get students involved in some community activities.
"We'd like to give back a little bit," he said. "We don't want to be the best-kept secret in Redlands."
