It's with great pleasure that we announce to you that, effective today, July 1, SVA officially has a new principal.  

The Board of Directors made it official when they welcomed Mr. Phillips at their meeting last week. Mr. Phillips gave a brief presentation about himself and fielded questions from the Board before their vote to approve his hire. One Board Member asked him to describe the culture at SVA, to that Mr. Phillips responded "empowering." We believe that to be so true.

In the words of Superintendent Dutton, "Damien brings the wisdom of many years of teaching, work in administration, work in Special Education, and a scholarly disposition and deep commitment to our work.  His career in education demonstrates an alignment with our mission/vision, his ethic is consistent with our commitment to excellence, and he understands what it means to 'be the change.'  We have confidence in his judgment and ability and look forward to his contributions."

I was raised in Tulare, where I still reside today with my family, including my three children who will attend SVA.  I graduated from Tulare Union High School in 1995, and then attended the University of California at Santa Barbara where I earned my Bachelor's degree in Law and Society.  After a brief stint, (four years) with the Tulare Police Department I decided that education was my true calling and went back to school and studied Education at Chapman University.  I took a position with Shelly Baird School in Hanford where I taught elementary, middle, and high school grades and have single subject competencies for specialized settings in the core subject areas of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  I have been a learning director, an assistant principal, and have served as a principal for Kings County Office of Education for the last two years.  I have a Master's degree in Education, and have completed the academic portion of my doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership and am currently working on my dissertation. I am committed to providing every student at SVA with an educational environment where they can grow both academically and socially. 

 

As an active member of the educational community I have never been more impressed with a school than I am with what I have seen in SVA's short existence.  I am thrilled to be a member of the team, and look forward to contributing to the continued success of such a fine institution. 

 

Damien Phillips

Principal

Sycamore Valley Academy