Principal Appreciation Month: Celebrating Our Pathways to Leadership

As we wrap up October and Principal Appreciation Month, we are proud to shine a spotlight on the incredible school leaders who guide our students, support our teachers, and strengthen our Oakland community every single day. They are the anchors of our school sites, and we are profoundly grateful for their dedication.

It’s our hope that our students graduate college, career and community ready to become the leaders and changemakers they want to be. But every now and then, students return to lead the very communities that shaped them. Amapola Obrera, the proud principal of Frick United Academy of Language, is a powerful example of an alumna coming full circle, and a testament to our vision of "growing our own."

You can watch her inspiring story in the latest episode of our "Oakland Grown" series:

Principal Obrera’s journey is an incredible example of Oakland's brilliance and the deep connection our homegrown leaders bring to their work. As she says, "Being 'Oakland Grown' means being resilient, being proud of where you come from, and using your voice to advocate for yourself and for your community."

This commitment to "growing our own" leaders is also at the heart of our partnership with UC Berkeley's Diverse Education Leaders Pipeline Initiative (DELPI). Thanks to a $1.2 million grant, this program is helping us build a stronger, more diverse pipeline of school administrators by providing comprehensive, equity-focused training and support. In 2024-25, 11 OUSD educators completed the program, becoming the next generation of equity-centered leaders for OUSD schools.

We are especially proud to celebrate DELPI graduates Kathy Locke and David Tommasini, who became new Assistant Principals at Chabot Elementary and Oakland High, respectively, this 2025-26 school year. For Assistant Principal Locke, the program was transformative. "The DELPI grant gave me the means to pursue leadership training without financial hardship," she said. "Now I can apply what I learned to advocate for Oakland's children and families."

Principal Obrera, Assistant Principal Locke, and Assistant Principal Tommasini are just a few examples of the incredible leadership across our district. We invite you to get to know more of our amazing principals by exploring our school leader video playlists on YouTube:

• Elementary School Principal Playlist
• Middle School Principal Playlist
• High School Principal Playlist

To all of our principals and assistant principals: thank you for your vision, your resilience, and your unwavering commitment to our students. When you see your school leaders, please take a moment to join us in sharing your appreciation for all they do.