Hello!  My name is Lisa Hawking.  My role as Sunset’s principal is an honor and the most meaningful, engaging work I can imagine.  I love working with children and teachers and I love supporting families.  I feel so fortunate that I have been teaching, learning, serving and in more recent years leading as an educator in West Linn-Wilsonville School District since 1994; I was a student teacher in a first grade classroom at Willamette Primary, taught first through third grades at Wilsonville and Boones Ferry Primary Schools, then was Instructional Coordinator at both Bolton and Willamette Primaries before becoming principal at Sunset. 

Our staff meets each child walking through our doors with appreciation for and eagerness to learn more about the ideas, questions, and positives each child brings.  We are committed to maximizing achievement for each child through authentic, purposeful, engaging learning experiences.  Our staff simultaneously encourages each other to our personal bests; we enjoy and are passionate about our work together, always wanting to better our own abilities to inspire curiosity and thoughtfulness and to elicit excellence.

As principal, as teacher, and as parent, one of my favorite things is being part of children’s joy and satisfaction as they come to understand something.  I'm a parent to two children, 13 and 11, who provide me with such happiness and always the opportunity to learn!  The way children think, wonder and experience the world awes and charms me.  I really enjoy the learning process, whether with children, colleagues, my family and friends or just on my own.  My husband teaches Language Arts in North Clackamas School District, and we share a deep commitment to and love for public education.  I find opportunities to work with others in helping children’s strengths shine, and opportunities to help children discover and grow strengths they didn’t necessarily know they had, very inspiring.

At Sunset you will find deep valuing of relationships and people, thinking and learning, and thoughtfulness.  You will find incredible commitment to this strong school so rich with history. You will find dedicated, insightful, and inspired staff members who strive to do everything even a little better tomorrow than today, and who honor our personal commitments, above all else, to doing what is best for each child.  We are excited for the wonderful opportunities this school year brings!