Principal honored for work on literacy, parent involvement

Not only has Gloria Trejo been credited with increasing parent involvement and student literacy in West Chicago Elementary District 33, but the Pioneer School principal also has been know to deliver a Popsicle or two on hot days.

Those are just a few of the attributes that earned the veteran principal recognition as this year's Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents Administrator of the Year.

Trejo said she had to read the email announcing her honor, which she received during spring break, a few times before the gravity of the feat could sink in.

"It's a privilege to be recognized and be honored, because a lot of my successes are due to this district and the staff and students here," she said. "This is not just a job for me. This is something I am very passionate about and it makes things so much easier when you love your job and are passionate about what you do."

If the email caught her off guard, she was really thrown for a loop Tuesday afternoon when all 441 Pioneer students surprised her outside the school with a confetti, flower and balloon dance party honoring her achievement.

Representative students from each grade presented Trejo with either flowers, balloons or handmade gifts, and complimented everything from her fashion sense to her taste in Popsicles and the inspiration she has provided as a role model.

"Everyone has been super nice to me today as I get ready to leave (for Washington, D.C.). Staff surprised me with snacks and a cake," she said Tuesday. "But I never expected this (surprise party). I thought I was coming out here to deal with a disciplinary issue because it was so quiet out here when I walked down the hallway. They got me today. I usually know everything going on in the building."

Trejo said she was excited to be joining other recognized school district superintendents and administrators from across the nation Thursday at the association's third annual Leaders in Education Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.

But she was most looking forward to participating in a daylong legislative assembly to discuss innovative solutions to the challenges facing school districts and the students they serve. Participants also were scheduled to visit Capitol Hill to discuss issues facing their districts with congressional representatives and key policymakers.

This year, the assembly intended to place special emphasis on preserving Department of Education funding, specifically programs related to teacher training and after-school programs, as well as continuing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival policy, which allows some immigrants who entered the country as minors to have deportation action deferred.

"I'm excited to be part of the legislative meeting to see what's going on in education with so many policy changes," she said. "I'm anxious to see what are some of the major conversations taking place right now at the national level."