As I shared last week at Back to School Night, our theme for this school year is Our Stories Matter . This theme was inspired by an author and speaker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who explains that stories help us to humanize and empower those around us when we take time to learn them. Fall 2009 school gathering So, I will take the liberty of sharing a bit of my story as it relates to our school. It was ten years ago this August that I made the move across town to become the principal at Bel Aire Park. At the time, there were two schools on one campus and because of very restrictive policies that were in place in California at that time, there was a huge disparity in what the schools were allowed to provide for students. Our staff, parents, and students came together as one new magnet school and began implementing the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate Organization. At the time, this was a huge change for everyone and it took a lot of courage and a lot