After a unanimous vote of approval by the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees at a special meeting Wednesday, May 9, Felton resident Karen van Putten was officially welcomed as the new principal of San Lorenzo Valley High School.
Van Putten will step into her new role on July 1, taking over the reins from outgoing principal Michael Arredondo.
“I thought it was a dream,” van Putten said, describing her reaction when she first heard that the position was coming available. “It was an opportunity – a very rare opportunity.”
A resident of the San Lorenzo Valley since 2004, van Putten has a daughter attending first grade at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School and said she looks forward to working within her community.
Van Putten comes to SLV High from her current position at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, where she has served as assistant principal for the past three years. Before that, she taught English for 13 years. In 2006, she earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from San Jose State University.
Van Putten was selected following interviews with board members, staff and students, an experience she described as being very positive.
“The vibe has been so friendly, so welcoming,” she said.
SLVUSD Superintendent Julie Haff lauded van Putten’s experience, as well as the rave reviews that faculty and students at Fremont High has for her.
“It was really important to us to search high and low,” Haff said at the meeting. “I think we’ve found a great fit for our school.”
As principal, van Putten said, she looks forward not only to two extra hours a day to spend with her family instead of commuting, but to expand what she described as SLV High’s “college-going culture” as well as the school’s role in the community.
“I think there’s some untapped potential to expose students to all that’s out there,” she said. “It’s already such a good school; we can make it even better.”
Van Putten said that she plans to be a visible and accessible leader and hopes to foment a trusting and open culture between students, faculty and staff.
“I’m accessible to the students, I’m accessible to the staff and I’m accessible to the community,” she said. “I think as leader of a school it’s important that I reach out.”
