Alhambra High School Principal Sue Mirkovich retires this week

After 31 years with the Martinez Unified School District, Alhambra High School principal Sue Mirkovich is about to spend her last day on Friday at the helm of AHS, which she likens to a mayorship of a “small city."

“It’s bittersweet," she said "My promise to myself was to leave before I got to the point where I’m not enjoying myself. That affects the staff, that affects the kids. I’m still loving it, but it’s time to go.”

Instead, Mirkovich will turn her focus on her aging mother.

“My mom is 91, she needs me and she lives by herself," she said. "She’s just done so much for me in my life that this is the least I could do for her. She’s like the model of a mom."

Mirkovich also looks forward to coaching other principals and educators, and the avid swimmer plans on going to the gym pool every day. She’ll also decompress over the summer during a Maui vacation.

Mirkovich started her career as a teacher in New Jersey. Shortly after getting married she moved to Martinez, where she was hired as a junior high teacher in 1980 by former Alhambra High and Martinez Junior High School principal Pat Gemma.

“There are principals who really stand out for you," she said. "He just continued to encourage me to do other things (than teaching).  In 1993 when my husband passed away, he said 'come up to the high school. I want you to be teacher in charge.' I was doing some administrative things and then I finally said 'gosh, if I’m doing this, I had better go back and get my masters degree.'”

Looking back on her years in the district, Mirkovich said her time as principal at Las Juntas Elementary School helped her build relationships with her current students.

“Some of these kids I’ve been with since kindergarten. With being in the district so long, I have kids of kids I’ve worked with. It’s just been a rewarding,wonderful experience," she said.

For Mirkovich, both the kids and her staff have stood out.

“What made me come to work every day is the kids," she said. "Every day. They just make me smile. But then, it’s everything -- working with the staff, for instance, where you really see results like the student achievement at Las Juntas. When we all worked together at Las Juntas our (test scores) went up 150 points. It was just incredible what that staff did and what they did for kids. They just welcomed any student. Wherever the student was (academically or socially). The experience of being the principal at Las Juntas really helped me here (at AHS)."

Mirkovich’s advice to the incoming principal, ?

“Build relationships," she said. "It’s about getting to know the kids and their families. That’s what Martinez is about -- it’s about community, relationships and traditions. That’s just so important to know and embrace that. Kids after graduation, they come back and they gave back.  All the while that I’ve been in Martinez, there’s never been one parcel tax or one bond that  didn’t pass during my 31 years of tenure. It’s just a great place to be.”

“It’s a good school," she said of Alhambra. "You look at Campolindo and Acalanes -- those kids do really well, but it’s all about a zip code. You’ve got the diversity here and our kids do well, all of our kids do well. It’s just a great school, and a great district. It’s small enough that people get to know each other.”

What is Mirkovich’s message to the kids continuing at AHS after her departure?

“Just continue to believe in yourself -- if you don’t try you’ll never know if you were able to accomplish that (goal)or not," she said. "Dream big but make that goal. You’re going to be working for a long time, you’ve got to be happy. You need to get up in the morning and not dread going to work because life is too short.”