El Carmelo Elementary Principal Appointed

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Skelly, PAUSD Superintendent, will be recommending to the Board at its meeting on May 13, 2008, that Mr. Chuck Merritt be appointed Principal of El Carmelo Elementary School effective July 1, 2008. Mr. Merritt will move into the position vacated by Mr. Lupe Garcia, who is moving to the principalship at Palo Verde Elementary School.

The El Carmelo Principal Selection Input Committee shared with the Superintendent that they saw Mr. Merritt as passionate educator who would provide a smooth transition for the school. The committee felt that Mr. Merritt's interpersonal skills and diverse experiences would contribute greatly to the school's community building efforts. The committee also valued the fact that Mr. Merritt was bilingual in Spanish--as was their departing principal. Dr. Kevin Skelly noted that Mr. Merritt's commitment to student learning and building relationships will serve the El Carmelo community well and that he would quickly adapt to the elementary level.

Mr. Merritt began his teaching career in the Fremont Unified School District where he taught Spanish for five years. From 1988 to 1993, Mr. Merritt lived in Galicia, Spain, teaching and working with Spanish university students. Mr. Merritt returned to Bay Area in 1993, when he joined the staff at Palo Alto High School as a Spanish teacher. While continuing to teach Spanish, Mr. Merritt also began serving as a technology learning coordinator, which included training elementary staff in technology use. In 2001, he was appointed to his current position of assistant principal at Paly.

Mr. Merritt earned his Bachelor of Arts--Political Science and Spanish from the University of the Pacific. He holds a Master's degree in Educational Administration from San Francisco State University and received his teaching credential from San Jose State University.

Mr. Merritt lives with his family in Mountain View.