Linda Stubbs is trading her post as principal of Ceres High School for that of principal of Argus and Endeavor high schools.

She replaces Jan Gordon who is retiring this summer.

“I think in everybody’s life you kind of know when you need a change personally for things and that’s really what it is,” said Stubbs, who has been principal for 10 years but on the campus for 14 years. Previously she was Ceres High’s associate principal and assistant principal. “I have needs in my personal life that I need to fit into my professional life. There are things in my personal life that take more of a commitment from me so I needed to have a place where maybe less commitment for me professionally. That’s the impetus of why I asked for a change.”

Stubbs didn’t specifically ask to go to Argus/Endeavor but she was hoping to go there since she previously worked at a continuation high school for a year and didn’t feel like she got enough.

“I don’t want people to think that I didn’t love it here because I love it here and I think my heart will always be with Ceres High School,” said Stubbs. “But I know there are times when I need a change and this is one of them.”

Stubbs said she is excited for Gordon – they are friends – as she enters retirement and also excited to “carry on with some of the things that she’s built.” The transition period has allowed Stubbs to get acquainted with the programs at the campus at Ninth and Lawrence streets but also become weaned from CHS.

The Argus and Endeavor highs are on a single campus. Argus is Ceres Unified School District’s continuation high school; Endeavor is the independent study program. The challenge of running the Argus/Endeavor program where about 300 attend is different than running a high school with over 1,200 students but Stubbs said she’s excited about tackling it.

“I’m actually very excited about working with different types of students, different demographics. It’s a smaller school … but it’s still difficult to reach the needs of all students because maybe the needs are greater and that I think is challenging.” She feels making the difference are the adult mentors on campus and she hopes to be one of them.

Stubbs said she doesn’t aspire to work in a district office administrator because her heart is with students. 

She leaves Ceres High School confident about the changes she helped facilitate.

“I think the thing that I am most proud of is the amount of students that we have helped grow emotionally, socially, academically.”

She’s also proud of the Manufacturing, Production and Green Technology Academy which trains students for jobs and has been recognized for national awards.

“I feel like the Academy has given students an opportunity that they normally wouldn’t have had at a comprehensive high school.”

Seeing staff members grow through cultural and educational changes have also given her a source of pride.

Stubbs also leaves as Ceres High prepares to implement an intervention block which took a lot of staff planning. The 30-minute block of time four days a week is intended for allow students to get help with studies or jump starts on homework or work on enrichment activities.

“It really is a way to meet individual students’ needs and to give every student opportunities – whether those opportunities are with intervention or with enrichment.”