Kids & Family

'Principal of the Year' Honor for Portola's Matthew Burnham

The prinicipal of Portola Middle School in El Cerrito, Matthew Burnham, has been named Middle School Principal of the Year for the West Contra Costa Unified School District. He's now in the running for the county-wide honor.

Congratulations were circulating in El Cerrito Thursday for the principal of Portola Middle School, Matthew Burnham, on being named the West Contra Costa school district's Middle School Principal of the Year.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District covers a large territory encompassing several communites from El Cerrito and Kensington in the south to Hercules in the north.

"Mr. Burnham was named Middle School Principal of the Year by WCCUSD!" said an announcement on the Go Portola! website. "Nominated by his peers in the district, he was selected by the members of the administrators’ union as THE Middle School Principal in the district.

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"He is now in the running for best Middle School Principal in the county. Congratulations Mr. B!"

Burnham is now in his second year as principal at the school, after having served as vice principal.

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In an interview with Patch last year, he stressed the value of collaboration, including among teachers and with the parents as well as the students.

There has been increasing optimism at Portola over an improved climate at the school and improved community relations, and a number of people say Burnham deserves a large share of the credit.

“What we’re trying to do is build a community around Portola,” Burnham told Patch at a newly initiated school fair in June. He said he wants neighbors as well as students and their families to feel like they are a part of the school.

He worked at Richmond High School for seven years and then served in a district administrative post before moving to Portola. He received his administrative training at UC Berkeley’s Principal Leadership Institute.

Among the challenges facing Portola, now housed in temporary buildings, is the relocation to new buildings soon to be constructed at the site of closed Castro Elementary School.


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