Parkrose High’s Molly Ouche is ‘Oregon Principal of the Year’

Find out what this award means to her, as well as the Parkrose School District Superintendent …

In the entryway of Parkrose High School, Parkrose School District Superintendent Michael Lopes-Serrao spends a moment with the newly-named Oregon Principal of the Year Molly Ouche.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Early in May, the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) revealed their selection of the high school principal who would be honored on the weekend of June 20–22, at the organization’s 50th Annual Seaside Conference – and it was Parkrose High School (PHS) Principal Molly Ouche.

“I’m really proud of Molly, and everything that the staff at Parkrose High School has done,” Parkrose School District Superintendent, Michael Lopes-Serrao told East Portland News, while visiting with Ouche at the school.

The Parkrose School District Superintendent, Michael Lopes-Serrao, tells why he nominated PHS Principal Ouche for the award.

“To recognize work they’ve done, I nominated Molly as Oregon Principal of the Year because I wanted to elevate the idea of how critical the work that she’s doing hais been to the success of students here in our district,” Lopes-Serrao said.

In nominating Ouche to COSA, Lopes-Serrao wrote that she is a “leader of leaders”, and went on to express that Ouche “has been instrumental in helping design and implement professional learning for our staff. This includes AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), culturally responsive teaching, coaching, and much more. She is a highly skilled facilitator and has the remarkable skill of looking at professional learning as an ongoing process that is integrated into daily practice.”

Not often will you find Oregon Principal of the Year Molly Ouche at her office desk, staff members say; she’s usually conferring with educators throughout the campus.

She’s not a newcomer to the district; well before being named Principal at PHS in July of 2015, Ouche was the Principal at Parkrose Middle School.

Asked what led her to become a professional educator, Ouche replied, “My mom was an elementary teacher, and I spent a lot of time helping in her classroom, and I found a lot of joy working with and supporting kids.”

While pleased to be nominated, let alone selected, for this award, Ouche made it clear that the successes at PHS are a result of all the staff members at the school. “Parkrose High is a very special place. Our students are amazing, and staff knows that – and they are committed to the students and their success.

“Our Parkrose staff goes above and beyond for our kids – and that combination of amazing students and committed staff is really what makes us outstanding,” Ouche reflected. “Students, staff, and the community are all working really hard for Parkrose High School to be a place where students are successful and loved.”

PHS Vice Principal and Athletic Director Ryan Gallagher spends a moment in the office area of the school with Principal Molly Ouche.

And specifically about receiving this award, Ouche told us, “I feel incredibly grateful and humbled by this honor. It’s a recognition of the hard work and dedication of the Parkrose community, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

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