PRINCIPAL TACKLES SCHOOL CHALLENGES; EUBANKS ADDRESSES ISSUE OF TEST SCORES.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

For career-educator Marilyn Eubanks, showing up to work each weekday at Peach Hill Elementary School is like spending time with the grandchildren she doesn't have.

After nearly four decades in education, Eubanks returned this year to working with the youngest learners - the ones she most enjoys.

``All of the schools have been warm experiences, but there's something about the elementary schools, with the little hands that reach out to you and the hugs and all that,'' said Eubanks last week. ``It's like having 490 grandchildren, so it's really a nice feeling.''

Eubanks was appointed to the job at the kindergarten-through-third-grade campus in July, officials said, based on her experience in education, which includes 28 years as a teacher and 10 in advisory and administrative roles.

She stepped onto the Peach Hill campus in the midst of community debate over how best to educate the school's large Spanish-speaking population, a debate that has been punctuated by emotional exchanges among parents.

At Peach Hill, 38 percent of the students are non-English-speaking, a higher percentage than the district average of about 27 percent, officials said.

The school ranked worst in the district recently on standardized tests, mostly, Eubanks said, because the exams are given in English when many students speak Spanish.

Parents had complained that the school was over-emphasizing its efforts to teach English to the non-English-speaking children at the expense of educating other pupils.

But PTA president Kim DiCecco said Eubanks' personal style has helped smooth concerns from the parent community.

``She's an awesome lady, she cares very much about the school and staff and parents and the kids, primarily,'' said DiCecco. ``She is warm and caring and very strong and supportive, and has a lot of her own good opinions about things that people respect her for. She came in and listened and has been a pillar of strength.''

DiCecco added even though Eubanks may not ultimately reach decisions the parents agree with, she believes the principal is winning support because of her approach to handling the concerns.

``I don't know that she has the power to change (the situation) for us, but in supporting the fact that this is real issue, it's so much better than it was last year,'' said DiCecco.

School board member David Pollock agreed.

``I think that she's performed admirably under unusually difficult circumstances,'' said Pollock. ``She walked into a situation at Peach Hill where she has an experienced staff but a set of circumstances that led to a number of parents (being) unhappy with instructional programs that were not of her creation.''

Every Friday, Eubanks dons a sheriff's badge and cowboy hat and patrols campus as a member of the Peach Hill Posse, whose members - students and teachers - dress up as part of a reading program.

Eubanks was appointed principal in July, after having worked two years at Mesa Verde and five at Chaparral middle schools as vice principal, when Carlos Pagan left the principal's post for a job in Northern California.

In September, Eubanks made a wager with the students that if they collectively tallied one million minutes of reading outside of their regular classroom assignments, she would kiss a pig.

``I said to them, `You'll never get me to kiss that pig,' and they said, `Oh yes we will,' and they just laughed,'' said Eubanks who is divorced and has a grown son. ``They're getting really close. They already had 356,000 minutes on Nov. 12.''

She is confident that with cooperation from parents and teachers - and help from new initiatives, including a state-funded, after-school reading program - the school's test scores will improve.

She said the critical educational foundation for elementary pupils was one of the draws of the Peach Hill job.

``This is really a very formative part of their education, because if they don't get off on the right step it can affect the rest of their lives,'' said Eubanks.

``It wasn't that I disliked middle school but it was just one of those things that made me want to reach out to the younger children.

``It's a warm and fuzzy and contented feeling, and it's also a feeling of concern because you want the best for these children and you take very seriously what happens in your school.''

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Photo

PHOTO (color) Peach Hill Elementary principal Marilyn Eubanks enjoys the challenge of young pupils.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News