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Uploaded: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 2:09 PM
Juana Briones School principal resigns
Michael O'Neill takes new position closer to family on east coast
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by Chris Kenrick
Palo Alto Weekly Staff
Juana Briones Elementary School Principal Michael O'Neill has resigned to accept a new position on the East Coast, the Palo Alto Unified School District announced Tuesday.
A nine-year veteran of the district, O'Neill taught at Walter Hays School for five years, served as assistant principal at Terman Middle School for two years and has headed Juana Briones for the past two years.
O'Neill's wife, Ann Kwolek, has been a second grade teacher at Walter Hays, where the couple met. Their first child was born earlier this year.
"It has been an honor to serve the children and families of Palo Alto as a teacher and administrator," O'Neill said. "Each day I was afforded the opportunity to work with talented students, staff and families.
"However, the time has come to relocate closer to my family in New England. This was a difficult decision. I will truly miss the people here. PAUSD is truly an outstanding place to learn and work," he said.
A native of Lowell, Mass., O'Neill grew up in the Boston suburbs. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and masters degrees from Boston College and Santa Clara University.
He describes himself on the Juana Briones website as an "obsessed Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan."
School Superintendent Kevin Skelly said, "We are sorry to lose Michael. In his short time at Briones, he established himself as a school leader and developed strong connections with the staff and community. The district is already in the process of finding his replacement. We are confident that we will have a highly qualified replacement for the opening of school in August."
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Posted by Scott, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 28, 2009 at 7:17 pm Michael O'Neal will certainly be missed. Not only was he a very caring and attentive PAUSD administrator but he also volunteered his time as a Parent Project facilitator! I wish Michael and his family much happiness and success!
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Posted by Gunn parent, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 10:42 am Agreed! He will be missed. Best of luck Michael and family!
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Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 12:00 pm Caring and kind people will always be remembered and appreciated; it's this that changes lives. Well wishes for Mr. Mike O'Neal and his family in their new journey.
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Posted by Former Terman parent, a resident of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 12:22 pm Best wishes to Mr. O'Neill and family! Thanks for your great leadership at Terman.
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Posted by virginia fruchterman, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 2:12 pm Michael and Ann are both exceptional educators. It is always sad to lose dedicated professionals of this caliber, but it is also our good fortune to have had them for as long as we have. I wish them good luck, success and many happy Red Sox games.
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Posted by Katherine Glazier, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2009 at 5:10 pm Best wishes to Mr. O'Neil and Ms. Kwolek. We enjoyed having you as teachers at Walter Hays and working with you on PTA committees.
Palo Alto's loss is Boston's gain. Cheer on our hometown team for us...Go Sox!! Fenway has a new season ticket holder. We'll look for you in the stands!!
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Posted by board watcher, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 6, 2009 at 7:30 am Why is it that the best people end up leaving? (Not all -- I mean there are some great people still in the district, but the district has a way of chewing up and spitting out great people). And some of the biggest duds are here forever and keep getting promoted. I am thinking of the cast of characters intimately involved with the MI and EDM fiascos.
Who will replace him? Any word yet? As with Susan Charles, I hear ominous rumblings about possible replacements.
A great principal who made a real difference. Best of luck to him in his new position.
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Posted by Mom, a member of the Palo Verde School community, on Aug 6, 2009 at 11:36 am He's probably leaving because he doesn't want to have to deal with the Everyday Math which is being implemented this fall in elementary schools. It's a terrible program and our test scores will plummet. Let's hope the program is altered and tweeked by teachers correctly so the program won't be such a horrendous failure.
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Posted by Friend, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 10, 2009 at 12:10 am Michael O'Neill is a sincere and dedicated teacher and administrator. His commitment to his job and the kids was obvious for all to see. He was one of very few PAUSD administrators I trusted. It's sad to see him leave but I'm glad for him and his family.
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