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Community High principal retires after rewarding career
According to Moorpark Unified School District Superintendent Ellen Smith, Aguirre is a bright, self-made man who's been a role model, imparting self-confidence and passion in young people. He was born in Juarez, Mexico in 1947 and spent most of his childhood and early teen years moving from town to town just trying to survive. "Times were tough, so unless I wanted to wind up as a farmworker for the rest of my life, I had to do something different," Aguirre said. After graduating from high school in Arizona at 16, Aguirre set off to live on his own in California. He got a job as an orderly in a children's hospital in Fresno and enrolled in a business college until "Uncle Sam came knocking at the door," he said. Aguirre was not yet an American citizen, but as a legal resident he was compelled to serve in the armed forces because of the Vietnam War being waged in the late '60s. He was assigned to work in an experimentation division where he used computers to try out squad maneuvers and tactics, he said. After his stint in the service, Aguirre continued his education at a junior college. He transferred to UC Santa Barbara and then to UCLA, where he earned his bachelor's degree in sociology and got a job with a farmworker education program in Santa Paula. After establishing an alternative summer school program in that position, Aguirre decided to pursue a career in education. "I enjoyed spending time at the school and in the classroom working with students," said Aguirre. He went on to earn a master's degree in bilingual/multicultural education at USC and a PhD in social science/comparative education at UCLA in 2002. "I've always been a student at heart," said Aguirre. He started out as a second-grade teacher at Flory School in 1977, became the first elementary school counselor in the district and was promoted to middle school counselor in the 1980s. One reason Aguirre was chosen to lead Community High was that he can relate to students who need to learn in an alternate school environment. "Aguirre has had to surmount amazing obstacles, so he has an incredible heart for helping students develop leadership skills and a belief in themselves," said Smith. "I could use my own experiences to help my students, and at the same time I can stay compassionate and understanding of their own experiences. I have a lot in common with my students, simply because I had to struggle all the way and I've had my hard knocks," said Aguirre. Once he's retired, Aguirre said, he looks forward to spending more time with his family, which includes his wife of 34 years, Mary Socoro Aguirre, two grown children and a baby granddaughter. He also plans to remain active in community service and advocacy. Aguirre's community involvement spans three decades and includes being a founder and president of LUCHA Inc., a nonprofit corporation that supports grassroots programs and initiatives for youth. A dedicated council member in Santa Paula, Aguirre was reelected last year. He also serves on the Ventura Council of Governments, overseeing regional issues, and he's on the board of the Center for Equality and Justice at California Lutheran University. As a member of Mayors for Peace, an international organization based in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan that lobbies to stop nuclear proliferation, Aguirre works to create a more peaceful world for future generations. "We all come to this earth to make a difference," said Aguirre, after receiving the 2007 Educator of the Year Award at a recent Moorpark Chamber of Commerce Top Ten event. "It's about moving our next generation forward in a most positive way," he said. The Moorpark Acorn will introduce Jorge Espinoza, the new Community High principal, in an upcoming issue. |
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