Thirteen years after taking over a failing southside school, Stephen Trejo is moving on.
As principal, Trejo transformed C.E. Rose K-8 into a nationally recognized school and a gem of the Tucson Unified School District.
His decision to retire June 30 has drawn a very different reception than the one he received when he first took the job.
“Parents have asked me to stay and they’re so kind to me,” he said. “But I was not the most popular when I came in, wanting to make changes and having to make decisions that were hard for teachers and hard for parents.”
His first year on the job included sleepless nights and stomachaches over a school Trejo says was in “really tough shape.”
C.E. Rose was classified as underperforming and facing corrective action from the state. But Trejo says the staff at that time felt like everything was fine.
“Only about 20 percent of students were at grade level and the rest were not, but the feeling was that those were the kids from the neighborhood and that’s what they were capable of,” he said.
Trejo, however, wasn’t fine with that mindset. He set out to surround himself with teachers who would hold the children to the highest standard — and the students did not disappoint.
Within a few years test scores soared and the school earned top marks from the state.
Parents who previously felt disconnected grew so attached to the school and were so pleased with their children’s success that they lobbied the district to expand to serve middle schoolers.
Despite concerns that the successful program would become watered down if stretched too thin, today C.E. Rose sixth- through eighth-graders have been known to outperform their peers on other campuses.
When accolades began rolling in, educators from across Tucson and the country made their way to the school near South 12th Avenue and West Ajo Way to see what the hype was about.
One of those educators was Pueblo Magnet High School Assistant Principal Alma Carmona-Alday. As she toured the campus years ago, Carmona-Alday was impressed by the empowering messages adorning the school’s hallways and the student work displayed on the walls.
The students, who kept notebooks to identify goals and track their academic progress, were equally impressive.
“You could see the school celebrated their successes, and to me that’s really important,” Carmona-Alday said. “I’ve always been amazed with that school.”
Carmona-Alday found herself on the C.E. Rose campus again Friday, working with Trejo as she prepares to fill his shoes in the fall.
She admits that inheriting such a successful school is a bit intimidating, but feels her 15-year career in TUSD has prepared her for it.
The 37-year-old got her start teaching kindergarten and first grade over five years before transitioning into the role of a counselor. She later took on the title of learning supports coordinator, coaching her colleagues and working with at-risk children on a bigger scale before being named assistant principal at Pueblo.
Over the last two years in that role, Carmona-Alday focused on curriculum and instruction, advanced learning experiences and overseeing the counseling department. She also organizes school-wide events.
“I want to continue the work that Mr. Trejo has already done and then grow on that,” she said.
Trejo is confident Carmona-Alday will be able to achieve her goals and that the school’s foundation is solid enough that it is not dependent on him being the leader.
“She’s really energetic and smart and talented,” he said. “I think they picked a great person to come here.”
In addition to their shared belief that all students have the ability to learn and succeed, Carmona-Alday’s belief in empowering staff is something Trejo says will take her far.
“I’m looking forward to collaborating with teachers and getting their feedback and insight,” she said. “I know really what it comes down to in order for a school to be successful is everyone has to be at the table.”
