New East Hill Elementary principal no stranger to new cultures

Growing up as an immigrant herself, Daxa Thomas feels she is well-suited to her new role as principal of East Hill Elementary, where a large percentage of the students share a similar background.

“Going through the whole education system was so tough,” Thomas said this week in her new office at East Hill, adding that getting extra help and basic understanding of the culture and language are among “all the little things I teach my kids now.”

Thomas and her family moved to Burien from a tiny village in India (“It’s not even on a map!”) when she was 9 years old and Thomas went through the English as a Second Language Classes and credits her teachers with inspiring her as well as helping her along.

“I had a lot of teachers that really pushed me and directed me,” she said, adding, “I consider my job a service and a way to help these kids without a voice.”

After high school, Thomas headed to the University of Washington (“It’s a great time to be a Dawg!” said said with a laugh) to study medicine, but discovered her true calling while she was working with children as part of an outreach program.

“That’s really where my heart was at,” she said.

That’s when Thomas changed her career path and headed into education.

After graduating from UW with a masters in technology integration, Thomas taught at Covington Elementary and a few other schools around the district before wanting to move on from a single classroom to working with a whole school.

“I wanted to impact learning on a greater scale,” she said of her choice to go into the administration side of things.

In 2005, Thomas was named an assistant principal at Mill Creek Middle School and last year was chosen to replace the retiring Dr. Kyle Good as principal at East Hill.

Thomas said her goal for East Hill is to continue along the path on which Good set the school while being as supportive as possible of her staff and students.

“I wanted to take this on and continue the journey they were on, knowing that Kyle and I are very different people, she said. “My job here is to support our staff.”

Thomas said she is excited the year has finally begun and she is working to create the type of school she would want her own children (she has two preschool-aged youngsters) to attend and often talks about a “vision” for the entire school.

“I like that word, ‘vision,’” she said. “I feel like in order to make positive changes we have to have long term goals so we don’t get lost in the day-to-day.

“If I don’t have a vision of where we’re going I can’t lead anybody,” she said.

Thomas is also looking to highlight the diversity within both the district and the school with the theme “A Window Into Our World,” which she said will highlight the cultures of the students and staff.

Thomas said she wants families to “see a part of themselves when they come to this school.”

“I really want to reel people into being more involved,” she said, adding that she understands the cultural pressures placed on many families and students.

Thomas also is hoping to get to know all of the students in the school, especially those who may need additional help or intervention. To do so, instead of just keeping names, she keeps a picture of the student as well, so she and her staff can see exactly who it is they’re discussing.

“Everyone is here to talk about the child, but not everyone knows who the child is,” she said. “I feel like I need to know the kids just as well as the teachers know them.

“My goal is to make this the kind of school where kids want to come to everyday to learn … and be inspired,” she said.

For more information about East Hill Elementary School, visit http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/EH/