Medina finds calling as Irish Elementary principal

By Brenda Rader Mross
North Forty News

If it's all in the name as marketing gurus suggest, then the parents of the new principal at Irish Elementary must have had a vision when they named their son Guillermo Medina.

Guillermo--the Spanish equivalent of William - means "valiant protector," the perfect moniker for a baby that would grow up to be first a special education teacher and then an elementary school principal.

Medina was named ongoing principal at Irish after serving last year as interim principal.

To hear Medina tell it, he didn't see any of this coming.

"I never thought to become a teacher," Medina reminisced. "I was unsatisfied with zoology and business; nothing grabbed me. It wasn't until a friend invited me to assist with a swimming class for the severely disabled that I thought, 'You know, I think I could be happy doing this the rest of my life.'"

Medina earned a bachelor's degree in K-12 special education from the University of Northern Colorado. He came to Greeley from his native Venezuela at the age of 17 to learn English for what was supposed to have been a short session.

"Three months became 26 years," Medina said. "My parents kept urging me to stay a little longer, just until things change. Caracas is one of the most dangerous places in the world due to political unrest and extreme poverty. I have had family members killed, kidnapped."

Medina's parents finally had to leave, relocating to Florida.

"I felt like a refugee for a very long time," Medina said. "But now I see Fort Collins as my home."

An internship at Foothills Gateway turned into a job, which led to work in Albuquerque, N.M. After three years there, Medina and his now ex-wife moved back to Fort Collins because it was home to his in-laws.

A friend recommended he look into Poudre School District's transition support program for students with significant cognitive disorders who have met graduation requirements, now known as Community Connections.

He later found himself at Blevins Junior High filling in for an adaptive skills instructor on maternity leave. That led to special education positions at Putnam and Laurel elementary schools.

While at Laurel, the principal suggested he take a second-grade classroom, a job Medina called rewarding. Medina received an Excellence in Education award and said his students "made tremendous progress."

He became interested in administration after studying an economically disadvantaged minority program in El Paso, Texas, where leadership made the difference.

"A lot that I do now nurtures needs," Medina said. "I like welcoming everybody at the door every day and being there when a kid's in crisis."

Medina believes he is a good fit for Irish and that everything happens for a reason.

"It's like it was waiting for me," Medina said. "Irish has had incredible principals in the past--top notch--and it's up to me to take the next step."

Medina acknowledged that Irish, with its many dual-language learners and with 87-percent of students receiving free or reduced-cost lunches, is a bit different than other schools.

"Often we are educating families, not just students," he said.

For many, a day at Irish extends beyond the 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day with Club 305, an after-school academic and enrichment program.

"With the community's help, we're letting kids be a kid a little longer," Medina explained. "In many working households, no one's home, so these kids end up raising their siblings."

Project Smile is another successful community program at Irish. Project Smile offers free dental care to underprivileged students, so far resulting in 70 "smileships."

"That kind of support sends a valuable message to kids: This community cares about you," Medina said, noting that there was no graffiti in his school last year. "Anger ebbs away when there's nothing to feel angry about and basic needs are met."

After Irish students read 20,000 books last year, Medina allowed them to shave his head. "That was the kids' choice," he laughed. "Made it a chilly winter! It's goofy, but it works."

According to Medina, Irish has a great partnership with Lincoln Junior High, which will help both schools transition to a K-5 elementary and 6-8 middle school program next year.

It's Medina's hope that eventually students from throughout the district will want to come to Irish to gain exposure to diversity. In the meanwhile, the 44-year-old principal has been sprucing up the landscaping and adding color at the main entrance with flowerpots.

Medina said he loves to spend time with people, especially his two sons, ages 12 and 17.

"This is a great time to be in education," Medina said. "We are reinventing it literally. I'm in a good place."

With a good name.