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SAN DIEGO – It's back to school for nearly 200 San Diego area business executives, as they are matched with San Diego Unified School District principals to become "Principal for a Day" on November 14. The program is sponsored by Merrill Lynch, supported by San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and coordinated by San Diego Unified. The Principal for a Day program joins business executives with school principals to foster a new spirit of civic involvement and commitment to San Diego public schools. Locally, Principal for a Day was launched in the early 90's in an effort to keep the business community in touch with educational needs.
"San Diego's public schools have done an outstanding job forging a strong partnership with the region's business and civic communities," said Mayor Jerry Sanders. "The Principal for a Day program recognizes that preparing today's students for tomorrow's workforce is a vital investment in San Diego's future."
According to the San Diego Unified volunteer data report for 2006-2007, volunteers including business, community, and military partners and parents, logged more than 990,000 hours with a monetary value of $18.6 million to help students in various ways throughout the school year.
For many guest principals, it will be years since they have set foot on a school site - for some, it will be their first visit to a San Diego Unified campus.
"Merrill Lynch is proud to once again participate in the Principal for a Day program in San Diego as part of a nationwide effort to galvanize support among the business community for public schools," said Joseph Campano, Honorary Co-Chair, Director of the Merrill Lynch San Diego Complex. "In this current economic environment, it is our responsibility to encourage and inspire students to succeed and to help build a stronger, better educated workforce for the future."
The program allows business executives and civic leaders to spend a half day working on campus with school principals and later gathering at a debriefing luncheon at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa together with all participants to hear from San Diego Unified Superintendent Terry Grier about how the local business community can form lasting partnerships with schools in order to enrich the quality of education in San Diego.
"First-time participants are usually very surprised at just how busy a principal's day can be," said Dr. Grier. "It's always an eye-opener, and we appreciate that they're taking time out of their full schedules to learn about San Diego's schools."
Students have the opportunity to interact with business leaders in their capacity as principal for a day and learn about executives' professional responsibilities and how to best prepare for the workplace setting.
Teachers will also share their experiences, challenges and ideas with executives. The program helps educators reshape classroom instruction to meet the needs of today's demanding workforce.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to interact with the Hoover High School principal and teachers, the school's baseball team and the JROTC members," said Jerry Coleman, Honorary Co-Chair, Baseball Hall of Fame member and San Diego Padres broadcaster. "The involvement of our business community is important in shaping the future of public education and the workforce."”
