This new school year, Culver City High School welcomed Mrs. Ebony Nicholson and Dr. Jennifer Padilla as its two new Assistant Principals.
Ebony Nicholson has 15 years of experience as an educator. She has taught a wide range of grade levels in elementary school and taught English and Social Studies as a high school teacher. While working as a high school teacher, she also taught at a juvenile detention facility in LA County for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She then worked as a Senior Program Specialist and later as Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, working and training with teachers for them to better provide quality education and instruction. Most recently, she was the principal at Kilpatrick High School.
At Culver City High School, some of her responsibilities include athletics, Career Technical Education (CTE), and attendance and discipline for last names A-K. Nicholson said that she decided to work in the CCUSD district as she has “always known the fabulous reputation that Culver City has” and wanted to be a part of the educational process in a district that is “very student-centered and want the best for their students.” Her ultimate desire as an educator is to have every student she meets believe that they can be successful and achieve something. “I really want students to feel that they matter, that they have a voice, they can be successful, and that they feel okay with saying ‘I need some help,’” Nicholson said.
Similarly to Mrs. Nicholson, Dr. Padilla has much experience working as an educator. She began as a Language Arts teacher at the high school level and worked in this position for ten years before moving into administration. Her administration positions have included working as a high school dean and later a principal at a middle school in the Newport Mesa school district. She has also been involved in consultant work with an educational company before taking on the position of Assistant Principal at Culver City High School.
Padilla is mainly responsible for attendance and discipline for last names L-Z as well as student activities, such as ASB, Link Crew, dances, pep rallies, and all of the other “fun stuff where students get to connect outside of the classroom and outside of academia.” She wants to provide students a safe place to learn about themselves and find their own passions, whether it be with academics or extracurriculars. “From my own experience, having something at school that really grounds you and makes you excited about coming to school is a make or break when it comes to how well you do,” Padilla said. She finds that Culver City is unique as it is a small district with a strong connection to the community. Padilla said that CCUSD was appealing as there are many areas where the schools were high performing in such fields as the arts and athletics, but found that she could also help provide to the district through her own instructional support and leadership as well.
Regardless of CCHS’s current online learning environment, both Mrs. Nicholson and Dr. Padilla have already made much impact on the school and will be invaluable to the success of CCHS and the students. Even though students may not be able to physically meet teachers and other staff for help, it is important to remember that certain tools set up by the administration and teachers such as office hours, Centaur Plus, Advisory and Wellness Wednesday surveys are available for students if they need to reach out. Both Mrs. Nicholson and Dr. Padilla are also accessible online to give any advice to students and help everyone get through any obstacles that come with distance learning.
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Welcoming CCHS’s New Assistant Principals: Mrs. Nicholson & Dr. Padilla
October 20, 2020
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Jonathan Kim, Co-President & Co-Editor-in-Chief
Hi, I'm Jonathan, a senior at CCHS and the Co-President and Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Centaurian. As a student journalist, I hope to inform the community of students' unique stories and local events and issues in an accurate manner. Other than journalism, I'm passionate about the environment and when I'm not writing articles, you'll likely find me hiking, running, or following the latest Dodgers game.