Retiring Principal Willborn reflects on a career in education

Cary Willborn’s “great journey” as a teacher, coach and administrator officially ends this summer when he retires as principal of Rancho Cucamonga High School. What won’t end are the memories or the impact he has had on one of the top performing high schools in California.

“From the day I arrived, I could feel how electric this campus was. The students give you this energy, and with the team of teachers, staff, and parents we have, we’ve been able to accomplish so many great things,” Willborn says of the school that has been his home away from home the past six years.

Statistically, it’s easy to measure RCHS’s success. One notable example: More than 80% of graduates complete the A-G coursework required for admission to Cal State or University of California schools – 30% above the state average.

More nuanced is a campus culture that promotes inclusion, collaboration and empowerment. Following the 2018 deadly shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, Willborn met with his own students to discuss their concerns and fears. They suggested gathering on the football field and forming the words “No More” – aerial photos of which became a national symbol of strength and unity in the face of unimaginable horror.

“I can’t tell you how much that healed them, and it was all their decision,” Willborn says. “We got together and I asked them, ‘What do you want to do?’ It’s the same approach we take with staff when an issue comes up: ‘How are we going to deal with this?’ It creates ownership and buy in.”

It also requires a leader willing to listen, said Dr. Mathew Holton, superintendent of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District.

“Mr. Willborn has a gift for bringing out the best in people. Students, staff, his colleagues – they see him as a real person who genuinely cares about their well-being and will do whatever it takes to make sure their concerns or needs are addressed,” Holton said. “We are indebted to his years of service and the lives and communities he has touched.”

That gift came somewhat naturally for Willborn, the son of a preacher/teacher in rural Texas who knew from an early age that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. He got his first teaching job at Alta Loma High School, also part of the Chaffey District, where he worked with students with special needs.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, and with that first job I got to experience how much caring for students means to them,” he says. “They taught me how to have patience, and that things aren’t always what they seemed. If a student has a bad day, there are so many reasons why.”

A football coach on the side, Willborn would later become athletics director at Colony High School in Ontario, then moved to Ontario High School where he was an assistant principal before serving as principal for five years. In 2014, he moved to Rancho Cucamonga High School, bringing with him his trademark positive energy.

“If you’re principal, there are going to be tough days. But if you care about students, you put that in your pocket and move on,” he says. “If I’m having a tough day, it’s my worry not yours.”

As for what the future will bring, Willborn and his wife – a retiring teacher at Alta Loma, and the person who he feels was, “his prime example of excellence in education, and support in leadership” – will spend time traveling and enjoying their five grandchildren. The couple’s two children are also educators.

“It’s been a great journey,” he says. “I’ve gotten to meet so many great individuals and hopefully have a positive impact on their lives.”