Porterville High School is successful in meeting students’ academic, social, and emotional needs because we have amazing teachers and incredible leaders on our administration team who make sure we have everything we need to thrive. Last month, we published a short interview with our principal, Mr. Valdez. Over the last few weeks, we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing our entire admin team: Mr. Valdez, Ms. Aziz, Mr. Navarro, Ms. Gomez, and Ms. Salas. Here’s a special look at each of our administrators so that you can get to know them better.
Mr. Valdez, Principal
Mr. Valdez, what did you do before becoming a principal?
“I was an assistant principal for 16 years. I worked at Monache High for 4 years before coming to PHS and working 12 years. From there I’ve been the principal here for 10 years.”
Where did you go to college?
“I went to COS and graduated with my AA, then I went to Fresno State for both my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.”
What is your favorite treat?
“I try to limit unhealthy foods and pay attention to making healthy choices, but I occasionally enjoy a slice of cheesecake and I always carry a healthy protein bar.”
What is your favorite type of music?
“I love all music, and I grew up listening to all genres of music. I like artists from the 80’s-2000’s such as Garth Brooks and Def Leppard, and I’m a big country music fan.”
What is your favorite sport?
“I’m a fan of golf, and I love to go out and play golf with friends. Nothing feels better than hitting the ball square.” (Please note that Mr. Valdez is also the reigning golf champion of the PHS staff–click on this link to get the inside scoop.)
What is most challenging about your job?
“It’s challenging to balance different responsibilities. For example, making sure everyone’s needs are met. This job is constantly evolving.”
What message would you like to give to students for the 2023-2024 school year?
“Believe that your hard work, determination, and sacrifices will be rewarding. Anything in your path is achievable.”
What do you enjoy most about being a Panther?
“What I enjoy the most about my job is working alongside our amazing PHS Staff. They are all so positive and believe all students can learn. Preparing young people to be successful in college and career is also one of the joys of my job.”
Ms. Aziz, Assistant Principal
Ms. Aziz, where did you grow up and go to high school?
“I grew up in this area, Porterville, but I have lived in Lindsay and Exeter, and I attended Monache High School.”
What were you involved in high school?
“I was involved in journalism and that’s pretty much it, I was not very involved.”
Where did you go to college?
“I attended the University of Lavern for her B.A. in Liberal Arts and later went to National University for her M.S. in Educational Counseling.”
What is your professional background?
“I have a counseling background. I was the Dean of counseling for Porterville High and now I’m one of the assistant principals.”
What is your favorite color?
“Black.”
What is your favorite treat?
“Anything chocolate.”
What is your favorite movie?
“I like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”
What do you enjoy most about being an admin?
“I would say trying to work with students to help them see things in a different perspective sometimes when you get in trouble, you come in and you sit down and have a discussion and you can help them see how they can help themselves get back on track, that makes it meaningful.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“I don’t like doing discipline, but challenging would be knowing when a student has potential, but they don’t see it themselves.”
What do you hope students learn about themselves in high school?
“A little bit about themselves, who they are, what they like, what they don’t like, I feel like pathways give the students that opportunity to explore some of the areas they may be interested in, and it’s okay to come out and say “I don’t like this and that or the other” an opportunity to discover themselves and the best way to do it is being involved.”
What do you hope students know about you?
“That I’m also a person just like them, I do make mistakes, but we can always grow from these mistakes.”
Mr. Navarro, Assistant Principal
Mr. Navarro, what do you enjoy most about being vice principal here at Porterville High School?
“I enjoy everything about our school, I love watching our school games, interacting, and watching students grow.”
How long have you been a vice principal here at Porterville High School?
“I have worked here for 8 years.”
What did you do before working here?
“Before working here I was a principal at an elementary school.”
What is your favorite movie?
“My favorite movie is Dances with Wolves.”
What is your favorite color?
“My favorite color is green.”
What is your favorite treat?
“My favorite treat is apple pie with WARM vanilla ice cream.”
What is your favorite hobby?
“My favorite hobby is riding horses.”
Where did you go to college?
“UC Davis.”
What are the challenges of being a vice principal here at Porterville High School?
“Dealing with students who break certain rules and they feel like we’re picking on them, it’s one of the hardest things to do, We try to get their mindsets to change to where they’re not blaming me for something I didn’t do but blaming themselves for something they did wrong.”
Ms. Gomez, Assistant Principal
Ms. Gomez, where did you grow up and go to high school?
“I grew up in Dinuba and went to Dinuba High School.”
What were you involved in during high school?
“My older sister was more involved and I was there to support and when she forgot something I was the one to go get it for her. I was more studious and academically smart.”
What do you enjoy the most about being an administrator?
“I personally enjoy the students.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“The most challenging part is making sure all decisions are fair and equitable.”
What is your favorite treat?
“My favorite treat is cashews as a snack and for candy I would choose Skittles.”
What is your favorite color?
“I would say my favorite color is white because of my first name.”
What is your favorite sports team?
“Personally I’m not into sports but because my husband is, I just fall into following after him, so the Lakers.”
What is your favorite song?
“I typically listen to everything, I don’t have a favorite song.”
What is your professional background?
“I taught for several years and became an instructional coach for a few years. After, that I became an assistant principal for Porterville High School.”
Ms. Salas, Dean of Counseling
Ms. Salas, where did you grow up and where did you go to high school?
“I grew up in Porterville born and raised and went to Monache on the other side of town and shall remain unnamed.”
What were you involved in during high school?
“I didn’t play sports but was in I band and several clubs such as MECHA and photography and also worked at Rally’s during high school.”
What is your professional background?
“As soon as I turned 18 I worked for a company Mini Corps teaching program for teachers in college. At the age of 18, I started in the classroom as soon as I graduated and got my AA and transferred to CSUB and got my master’s degree and also bachelor and worked at schools and worked at Bank of America for a short while.”
What do u enjoy most about being the dean?
“I enjoy helping students and I know it sounds cliché but we’re able to support students and help students give personal fulfillment in academic challenges and emotional and however I can help.”
What is the most challenging part of working here at Porterville High School?
“I would say the most challenging part is that our school is so large and so managing all aspects is very hard because I’m always on the go.”
What’s your favorite treat?
“That’s a hard question but I would say cookies nothing specific.”
What’s your favorite sports team?
“I would say for baseball Dodgers, I don’t really watch football, but for basketball, I like the Lakers.”
What’s your favorite color?
“My favorite color is purple.”
What’s your favorite song?
“My favorite song is ‘Primera Cita’ by Carin Leon.”
When you see our admin team, please say hello and introduce yourself! They are happy to help you and get to know you. Because of leaders like them, it’s GREAT to be a Panther!
