Oaklandvale Elementary principal Stanton retiring

SAUGUS – Dr. Kathleen Stanton has served as principal of the Oaklandvale Elementary School for nine years.But this summer the long-time Saugus fixture will be retiring after 33 years in the district.?It?s time,” said Stanton during a recent interview in her office. “Thirty-three years. I don?t imagine for a minute that I?ll go home and put my feet up on the sofa and watch television. I just think, having been a principal for 20 years, it?s time to do something a little different.”Stanton landed her first job in Saugus as a permanent substitute teacher at Veterans Memorial Elementary School in 1979. The following year she became a fifth-grade teacher at Lynnhurst Elementary.Stanton taught there until she was laid off in 1981, and then was re-hired in 1984 as a reading teacher.She was then named principal of the now-closed Evans School, where she worked for 11 years before finally landing at the Oaklandvale School in 2003.Stanton said she?s looking forward to doing some relaxing this summer.?Come June 30, I?m heading to Maine,” said Stanton. “My husband and I have a little camp in Hartford, Maine and I plan on enjoying my summer. I plan on being on the porch on the first day of school looking out at the lake.”Stanton said there are certain events held at the Oaklandvale School every year that she?ll miss, such as the Saugus Business Education Collaborative?s Unsung Hero Awards and the annual Dr. Seuss Celebration, which she started at the Evans School and brought over to the Oaklandvale.?We call kids up to the podium to tell them they?re terrific and why we think they?re terrific,” said Stanton. “They?re a little more off the radar than your regular high-achieving student and I just love that opportunity to select those students and recognize them.”Stanton said local businesses like the Saugus Federal Credit Union, Perfect Parties and Hilltop Steakhouse have been enormously generous over the last 20 years.?Those were the three primary businesses that adopted us,” said Stanton. “Hilltop does the green eggs and ham breakfast. Being able to provide those moments is fun because it?s a little bigger and better than the typical school day.”But while the business partnerships were an important part of the Oaklandvale School, Stanton said she?ll miss the kids most.?Every morning since I?ve been a principal I?m on the playground,” said Stanton. “In the morning I?m at the door greeting my kids. There has to be a major problem to pull me away from that. I always try to be in the lunch room checking on the kids.”School Committee Chairman Wendy Reed said she was a PTO mom back when Stanton took over at the Evans School, and said she is going to be missed when she steps down.?I was there before her,” said Reed. “She was a reading teacher for a long time, then was certified as a principal and got her doctorate in education. She has quite a story.”Stanton said she?s noticed several changes over her long career, from the MCAS, which was implemented toward the beginning of her career, to new technology, and the community itself, which she said has become more diverse.?I have a much higher percentage of free- and reduced-lunch students and a much higher percentage of ELL students,” said Stanton. “That?s a different population than I had when I started out at the Evans. I think it?s a reflection of the community. With the diversity sometimes comes more challenges to meet the needs of those students. We?re just starting to catch up.”Stanton also said she was thankful for the support she received from the Oaklandvale Parent Teacher Organization.?The parents have been so supportive,” said Stanton. “All I have to do is suggest something would be nice and I?ve got it. As a principal you can?t ask for more than that because when resources are tight, you turn to your PTO.”Stanton said she hopes she?ll be remembered in Saugus not just for her academic achievements, but fun she helped inject into her students? lives.?If the mission is to improve academic ac