Assistant Principal Linda Vancil to retire

Posted November 2020

By Taj O'Malley

Staff Editor

After working 32 years in education, and having served in a variety of roles ranging from Alice Ott Middle School math teacher to Fir Ridge High School principal, assistant principal Linda Vancil will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Vancil never dreamed of being an educator. She was attending college at The University of Oregon as a biology major. After receiving many requests to become a teacher, she decided to try a teaching class, and fell in love with it.

Vancil graduated from U of O in 1989, and soon began her first teaching job as an English teacher at what is now called Sunridge Middle School. Two years later, Vancil would find a new and lasting home to practice her craft, the David Douglas School District.

Her first position was at Alice Ott Middle School where she taught math, English, and social studies for five years. During that time, Vancil would also work as the DDHS volleyball coach, a role that would eventually pull her into working as a teacher at the high school.

"I enjoyed switching my role every five years or so," she said. "It was the constant role switching that allowed the years at DDHS to go by quickly."

Vancil would end up breaking her five year position contract trend when she served as a high school counselor for 11 years, a time she greatly enjoyed.

After working as a counselor, Vancil became the Fir Ridge High School principal. She would fill that position for four years, and says that it was there that she experienced her favorite DDSD memory. In 2014, Fir Ridge received a visit from U.S Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Vancil was able to meet the Justice, making for her favorite memory as a David Douglas educator.

Following her time at Fir Ridge, Vancil would become a DDHS assistant principal, which is where she finds herself today.

As she leaves, she said she will hold one part of her experience closer to her heart than all of the others.

"I love the students.”

Vancil said she does not have many regrets, but if she could say one thing to her past self as she was starting her work as an educator, it would be a simple message.

“Missing a day of work is not the end of the world.”

That's a message that all students can surely get behind.

As far as her retirement goes, Vancil plans to get some well-earned rest.

"I will not do a lot of anything.”