Hello.  My name is David Pryor and I am honored to be the principal of Willamette Primary.  Willamette is a fantastic neighborhood school, full of bright children, supportive parents and dedicated staff.  We have a rich history of working together to sustain a joyful learning community.  We maintain high academic standards and recognize the unique social, emotional and learning needs of each child.  Our district’s vision theme, "How do we create learning communities of the greatest thinkers and the most thoughtful people for the world?" truly captures the heart of our efforts.

Willamette holds a special place in my heart, because it has been home for my entire 14 years as an educator.  I began teaching here immediately upon receiving my master’s degree from Lewis and Clark College.  I taught for nine years and was instructional coordinator for 4 years. I am incredibly excited to provide leadership in my new role as principal of Willamette.  I am continuously inspired to do my best to support teaching and learning, and greatly admire the high expectations set by our families and the school staff.

We have an incredible staff of intelligent, creative teachers.  Our staff prides itself on leading rich, interesting lives.  Amongst our teachers you will find triathletes, world travelers, gourmet cooks and power walkers.  Each of our 39 full time certified teachers holds a master’s degree and two have their doctorates.  They are lifelong learners who read books, take classes and collaborate together to deepen their teaching skills.  You will be hard-pressed find a more talented and capable group of educators.

Our school is fortunate to have tremendous parent involvement.  Volunteers serve our school in many vital ways, from reading with children to chaperoning field trips.  We believe in the importance of communication and collaboration with parents as we seek to provide the best educational experience possible. 

We also have a fantastic Parent Teacher Association (PTA).  Our PTA supports Willamette in many wonderful ways.  In addition to raising funds for purchasing technology, supporting literacy development and improving our playground, the PTA also organizes fun family events like the Ice Cream Social and Pizza Bingo Night.  Joining the PTA is a great way to get involved in our school.  

Willamette has a strong focus on character education.  We seek to integrate the development of moral and performance character in the relevant context of everyday classroom learning.  Moral character includes traits such as empathy, respect and kindness.  Performance character encompasses diligence, determination and an ethic for producing work of high quality.  Gandhi’s leadership quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” captures our enthusiasm for service learning.  Service learning opportunities provide an authentic context for developing moral and performance character, while, at the same time, providing children with meaningful, inspiring writing prompts and relevant math problems. 

I feel privileged to work alongside this amazing group of students, teachers, parents and administrators.  I look forward to another great year, full of learning, hard work

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David Pryor Principal pryord@wlwv.k12.or.us

Lisa Hawking Instructional Coordinator HawkingL@wlwv.k12.or.us