Owen leaves principal post in LaPorte

"I will leave a huge part of myself at this school. I loved being here." Those were farewell remarks by Ginny Owen, who has served as principal of Cache La Poudre Junior High for the past six years.

She is leaving Poudre School District for a position as director of schools for the Douglas County School District in Castle Rock.

Brian Williams, assistant principal at CLPJH for the past four years and a teacher there since 1987, will take over as interim principal until July 2005 while the district searches for a permanent replacement.

In her new post, Owen will work with the district's principals on curriculum, assessment and other educational issues. Owen said she really enjoys curriculum development, and the experience she gains will help her toward her goal of becoming a high school principal.

During her tenure at CLPJH, enrollment has risen each year because of a high number of school-of-choice students. When she began as principal, one of her chief goals was to inspire a sense of pride in the CLPJH students, and she said there has been great improvement in that area. Six years ago, CLPJH had the highest number of student suspensions in the district; now it has the lowest. Students have also embraced a program called "Living It Up," which focuses on the positive.

Owen is proud of the new accelerated classes offered in English, math, science and social studies, and she is pleased that several outstanding teachers in the school have received recognition for their work.