A Blue Ridge farewell
Blue Ridge parents didn’t want to see their principal, Connie Taylor-Randall, leave the school quietly. The district announced earlier this year that Taylor-Randall would be leaving the school to oversee Title I and staff training in district offices.
Parents have grown attached to Taylor-Randall over the past several years, and attribute a change in the school, including more unity and confidence among families, to her leadership. Yet parents who addressed the school board during one of the meetings learned there was nothing they could do to keep Taylor-Randall.
On Sunday, although school was technically out for the summer, parents, children and some staff members gathered in the school’s gym to bid Taylor-Randall an intimate farewell with a barbecue. The parents worked and pooled money to pay for the meal, and welcomed about 100 people to the afternoon event.
The party was a surprise to Taylor-Randall, who also got an emotional good-bye assembly from her entire school last week.
While some of the mom’s expressed sadness at seeing Taylor-Randall leave, they said they were ready to welcome new principal Kim Doepker and work with her at preserving what has been established.
Veronica Esparza, co-president of the Blue Ridge PTA, said the barbecue was one example of parents communicating and uniting. She felt preserving those ties could only help the school and its students.
Lucy Ramirez, the PTA vice-president who coordinated the party, said Taylor-Randall often went out of her way to help parents with problems. She said doing so helped them build confident and feel respected.
Taylor-Randall said the families would accomplish a lot if they continued to work together.
“It’s truly a partnership,” she said. “And we are a family. We have to continue to believe that we can make a difference if we work together.”
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