Ms. Jessica De La O is the new assistant principal here at Glendale High School. And although she is new to our school, she’s not new to our city. 

Ms. De La O has never worked at GHS specifically, but she does have a history with Glendale. She previously worked at a nearby Burger King, and although it’s been a while, she’s excited to be reacquainted with our city. 

Her connection to Glendale is not only through employment. When Ms. De La O was a little girl, her grandmother used to take her to Carr Park, right behind our school. She remembers looking at the buildings of GHS rising up in the distance and thinking to herself, “Wow! That’s a really pretty school! I wish I could go there one day!” And of course, she can finally call herself a Nitro, but just not in the way that she had expected.

Ms. De La O has had a fair amount of experience at other schools, even though she’s new to Glendale. After earning her degree at Chapman University, she taught for six years at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, before landing an administrative position at CHAMPS Charter High School.

According to Ms. De La O, her greatest strength is patience, which is something that she practices every day. She tries to be an administrator who really has patience for the people she works with, both students and faculty alike. She tries to be someone who is “truly here for them.” 

Ms. De La O doesn’t only practice patience for others though, treating it as something she should apply, not only externally, but also internally. She knows that she is new to GHS, and she makes sure that she gives herself the “grace and [the] space and [the] time” to learn and develop. 

Ms. De La O seems to be adapting well to her new role. She believes that GHS “is one school that not only talks the talk but [also] walks the walk.” She feels that our faculty and staff do not simply spew plastic rhetoric, but they really put our school’s ideals into practice. This makes her “want to put [her] best foot forward and do well for the school.”

At the time of our interview, Ms. De La O had only been here for a week, so she is still excited to see how it is when she’s had a full year to settle in at GHS. But beyond that, she has a great first impression of our school community.

Overall, Ms. Jessica De La O feels “very privileged and blessed to be here, [and she is] looking forward to an incredible year with you all!” Hopefully, this year will prove to meet her expectations.

Make sure to give Ms. De La O a warm welcome, everyone!