Valley West ES’s only principal celebrates 45 years of service

When Sandra Little came to HISD as a speech pathologist back in September of 1968, the first Boeing 747 was rolling off the assembly line, the Big Mac was making its debut at McDonald’s restaurants across the country, and the Beatles were taking America by storm with their chart-topping hit song, “Hey Jude.”

Now, Little is celebrating 45 years with Team HISD, the last 17 of which she has spent as the sole principal of Valley West Elementary School, which opened in 1996. Before that, she also served as an assistant principal at Stevens and Anderson elementary schools, a teacher, a diagnostician, and a Special Education supervisor. 

“I’m pretty surprised,” said Little. “It seems like I blinked my eyes and here it is 45 years later. But it’s a very rewarding position to be in, to see the growth students make. And it’s always very rewarding to see students who’ve gone on to college come back and say hello.” Little noted that with 45 years in HISD, she is now seeing the grandchildren of some of the students she served enrolling in district schools.

Little officially marked her anniversary with the district on Sept. 1, but several other employees are also marking theirs this week (Sept. 1–7). See if you know anyone on this list:

55 years

• Gloria Novak, associate teacher

50 years

• Carolyn Blakley, associate teacher
• Lenieta Trousdale, teacher, Lamar High School          

45 years

• Ruth Beery, teacher, River Oaks ES
• Patricia Bonner, teacher, HSPVA
• Penny Howell, teacher, Horn Academy
• Debra Jackson, attendant, Food Services
• Joyce Jones, teacher, K. Smith ES
• Susan Kurland, teacher, Askew ES
• Donna Patch, teacher, Westside HS

35 years

• Henry Barclay, attendant, Athletics
• Leon Moore, associate teacher
• Charles Randolph, teacher, Waltrip HS
• Thomas Cosper, magnet coordinator, Camp Olympia
• Renita Phillips, program specialist, Special Education
• Yolanda Chavarria, clerk, Grady MS

30 years

• Pamela Oliver, teacher, Gregg ES
• Maria Dela Rosa, student information rep., Halpin ECC

25 years

• Carolyn Davis, nurse, Edison MS
• Valerie Payne, teacher, Washington HS
• Alicia Garay, secretary, Carrillo ES
• Cynthia Gonzalez, grants administrator, External Funding
• Martha Rodriguez, teacher, Coop ES
• Hortensia Baldez, crossing guard, Police Dept.
• Sonia Figueroa, crossing guard, Harvard ES
• Cilya Frank, assistant principal, Pershing MS
• Brenda Garcia-Salazar, principal, Mitchell ES
• Rosie Guinn, crossing guard, Alcott ES
• Dorothy Ibarra, clerk, Austin HS
• Priscilla Jeffery, clerk, Attucks MS
• Louise Keyes, crossing guard, Sinclair ES
• Willie Patrick, teacher, Wheatley HS
• Shirley Perkins, crossing guard, Golfcrest ES
• Santos Reyes, principal, Braeburn ES
• Patty Richmond, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
• Juan Salinas, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
• Mariano Santos, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services

20 years

• Vimael Pineda Melgar, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
• Leon Mitchell, senior plant operator, Construction & Facility Services

15 years

• Adriana Guzman, attendant, Food Services
• Ruben Martinez, teacher, Looscan ES
• Linda Vandock, teacher, Kelso ES
• Michael Martindale, teacher, HSLECJ
• Federico Perez, custodian,  Construction & Facility Services
• Cynthia Rangel, teacher, Wharton ES

10 years

• Alfreda Ester, attendant, Athletics
• Carol Marsh, crossing guard, Petersen ES
• E. D. Murphy, crossing guard, Police Dept.
• José Tapia, teacher, Love ES
• Elizabeth Hancock, teacher, DAEP ES
• Geneva Parker, attendant, Food Services
• Misty Thakur, counselor, Barrick ES
• Ruth Ward, teacher development specialist, Professional Development
• Gabriela Alatriste, teacher, Emerson ES
• Martha Anaya, teacher, Madison HS
• Gladys Burton, teacher, Harper Alternative
• Robert Fazakerly, senior manager, Procurement
• Joel Hernandez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Amelia Hidalgo-Olaizola, evaluation specialist, Vision Program
• Lucia Juarez, teaching assistant, Benbrook ES
• Gianncarlo Muschi-Hoyos, teacher, Scarborough ES
• Martha Padilla, nurse, Oak Forest ES
• Yolanda Perez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Angela Richard, teacher, Fonville MS
• Sandra Vargas, clerk, Westside HS
• Audra Page, teacher, Almeda ES
• Graciela Rodriguez, attendant, Food Services

5 years

• Farris Blount, crossing guard, Field ES  
• Laura Garcia, student information rep., Law ES
• Sanettia Coats, teaching assistant, Harper Alternative
• Tiffany Dewalt, teacher, Oak Forest ES
• Jonas Mendoza, teacher, Wesley ES
• James Moore, bus driver, Transportation Services
• Antonia Ochoa, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Adefunke Olaleye, associate teacher
• Haydee Reyes Manzanares, bus driver, Transportation Services
• Julianne Farnsworth, teacher, Whittier ES
• Fahime Fazeli, bus driver, Transportation Services
• Maria Gonzalez, clerk, Askew ES
• Monica Palacios, associate teacher
• Burnis Porter Jr, bus driver, Transportation Services
• Roxy Smith, teacher, Cornelius ES
• Ramon Vazquez, mechanic helper, Transportation Services
• Raul Arauco, teacher, Cornelius ES
• Jarvis Brown, applications developer, Research and Accountability           
• Fatima Campos, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Rosalva Castilleja, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Efrain Chavez, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Maria Espinoza, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Edith Gonzalez, teacher, Westside HS
• Daniele Hanley, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Claudia Izaguirre, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Ray Jones, plant operator, Construction & Facility Services
• Steven Levine, clerk, Briarmeadow Charter
• Dora Lopez, teacher, Travis ES
• Senae Martin, teacher, Cullen MS
• José Romero Zavala, bus driver, Transportation Services
• Treuell Thomas, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Celina Toney, custodian, Construction & Facility Services
• Shawdae Wallace, teacher, Briargrove ES

Check back next Friday for more September Milestones. Leave a comment below if you’d like to congratulate any of the above employees.