By Mary O’KEEFE

Crescenta Valley High School students will be missing yet another familiar face when they start the 2021-22 school year.

Assistant Principal John Eldred will be leaving CVHS to take a principal position at South Pasadena High School.

“We are thrilled to announce that John Eldred will be the new leader of South Pasadena High School,” stated South Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Geoff Yantz. “Mr. Eldred’s experience leading secondary students and his deep understanding of teaching and learning provides an excellent foundation for the future of SPHS. With a thoughtful and caring approach, Mr. Eldred is centered on student well-being and success while ensuring that staff, parents and the community work collaboratively to prepare students for college and life experiences.”

Eldred had been with Glendale Unified School District for 28 years and has been assistant principal for seven years.

“South Pasadena is a high-achieving high school like CV,” he said.

In addition, the student population is almost half of Crescenta Valley High School and, Eldred added, the hometown feel is the same as what he has experienced at CVHS.

Eldred is the third high profile departure from area schools. CVHS Principal Linda Junge and Rosemont Middle School Principal Scott Anderle announced weeks earlier they were leaving their positions.

GUSD has already held employee and parent “listening sessions” for replacements at both Rosemont and CVHS, according to Kristine Nam, spokeswoman for GUSD.

The district is expected to make a decision for both principals by the July 13 school board meeting. Once the CVHS principal is appointed, he or she will then work on appointing an assistant principal.

For Eldred, the move to principal is a natural progression for his career but he will miss CVHS.

“I will miss the kids. We have a lot of great kids in the community,” he said.

CVHS felt like a family to him; his daughter, nieces and nephews all attended the high school.

“I will miss my team. [We did] a lot of great work and there was [a lot] of learning and laughs,” he said. “I will miss the teachers … This is such a beautiful campus – a great place to come to work.”

Eldred said he is looking forward to working in his new job. South Pasadena High School is the only high school in the district.

“It has a small town feel,” he said. “Everyone cares and everyone participates.”

He added he anticipates challenges for all students as they transition from virtual to in-person classrooms.

“I am concerned about learning loss,” he said.

Many students have voiced concern about how the nearly two years of virtual learning has affected their grade point average.

Adding he knows educators have been working hard to teach students through the pandemic Eldred said it has been difficult.

“It is hard to be as effective as you can be over Zoom,” he said.

Eldred said another concern is students who are sophomores stepping onto the campus for the first time and that teachers are also dealing with the transition from virtual to in-person teaching and will also need support.

Although he is saddened to leave the campus he has called home for so long he is eager for the opportunity to lead South Pasadena High School.