Upland Unified School District welcomes 4 new principals

UPLAND, CA – The Upland Unified School District (UUSD) is proud to welcome four new elementary school principals:

Kellie Cushman (Cabrillo Elementary) had served as the school’s interim principal since November 2019. She taught at Cabrillo and Citrus Elementary Schools since 2004 at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th grade levels, and has served on the leadership teams of both schools.

Cushman grew up in Upland and attended Sierra Vista Elementary, Upland Junior High and Upland High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in liberal students from Cal Poly Pomona and a masters of education in leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas at Arlington.

“Building relationships with students is a key to their success,” Cushman said. “I am committed to creating a positive and engaging environment for students and am eager to inspire teaching and learning in the Upland Unified School District.”

Angela Huerta (Baldy View) had served as assistant principal at Pioneer Junior High since August 2018. Before then, she spent 13 years as a 6th and 7th grade teacher at Cesar E. Chavez Middle School in San Bernardino and two years as a 1st and 6th grade teacher at Sultana Elementary School in Ontario. During that time, she served in a variety of leadership positions, and is a three-time winner of a Most Outstanding National Teacher Award.

Huerta earned her bachelor of arts in liberal studies from the University of La Verne and a master of arts in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix.

“As a school leader, I am dedicated to building relationships and improving the educational experiences of my staff, students and school families so they can achieve great levels of success,” Huerta said.

Caryn Sanchez (Magnolia Elementary School) has spent the past 19 years in the Riverside Unified School District, most recently as assistant principal at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School.

Sanchez spent the first 13 years of her career as a teacher, administrative designee and instructional coach at the elementary school level. She then moved to the district office for four and a half years, serving TK-12 grade teachers as a staff development specialist for technology integration. She earned her bachelor of arts in liberal studies from California State University, San Marcos, and her masters of arts in education, curriculum and instruction from Concordia University in Irvine.

“Throughout my career, I have learned from passionate administrators on how to lead staff through the change process,” Sanchez said. “I am passionate about building the capacity of others to maximize the learning experiences for all students.”

Leila Dodge (Upland Elementary School) has been an educator for more than 22 years, starting as a teacher and later as a program facilitator, and site and program assessment coordinator. She joined UUSD after spending the past seven years as an elementary administrator in the Ontario-Montclair School District.

Dodge earned her bachelor of arts in sociology from the University of California, San Diego, and a masters of science in administration at Pepperdine University. She is a doctoral candidate at Brandman University.

“Although we are in a unique time, our goal at Upland Elementary is to continue to provide an enriching, engaging and challenging curriculum that will prepare students for success and support college and career readiness,” Dodge said.

UUSD Superintendent Lynn Carmen Day praised the four new principals as outstanding leaders whose focus on relationships, equity and academic excellence support the District’s commitment to providing all students the opportunity to succeed.

“As we address the challenges and opportunities in front of us, principals play a more important role than ever before in creating an environment in which every student will have the chance to contribute and thrive in our changing world. We’re thrilled to have Kellie, Angela, Caryn and Leila as part of our extraordinary team,” Carmen Day said.