Ventura High Principal to Retire After Polishing School’s Image

VENTURA — After 32 years with the school district, Ventura High School Principal Hank Robertson will soon leave the campus scene behind for hikes through forests, rides down wild rivers and possibly even climbs up craggy mountains.

On Tuesday, Robertson--brought in to boost the high school’s battered image three years ago--formally announced his decision to retire by the end of the school year.

“I want some time to enjoy the next phase of my life while I’m healthy and can do so,” said the 62-year-old Robertson. “I will miss Ventura High School and I do it with mixed feelings.”

In 1994, Ventura Unified School District officials transferred Robertson from his post as principal of Balboa Middle School, seeking to spruce up Ventura High’s image after a string of problems. Jesse Strobel, a 17-year-old Ventura High student, was stabbed to death near the school; football coach Harvey Kochel went to jail for having sex with a 15-year-old, and swim coach Dale Hahn surrendered his teaching credentials after allegations that he had sex with two students.

All these incidents, which occurred shortly before Robertson took the reins as principal, caused an uproar among parents and residents and tattered the campus’ image. The school was already struggling to shake the perception that it was inferior academically to cross-town rival Buena High School. School district officials replaced Jerry Barshay with Robertson, arguing that they needed someone who was more skilled at dealing with the media and changing the public’s perception of the campus.

During his three-year stay, colleagues say, Robertson has turned the tide.

“He came in and took over and gave us leadership we needed at the time,” said math teacher Denise Tierney. “We had a lot of bad things happening on campus when he came.”

Now, she said, “we’re getting good press, not bad press. Every school has good and bad things. It seemed for a time we were being targeted with so many negative things.”

As proof that the community has a better image of Ventura High School than it had in the past, Robertson and staff members point to the results of a boundary change.

Last year, the district transferred nearly 200 students from the overcrowded Buena campus to Ventura High. Though a number of students from Buena fiercely protested the move, school officials were pleasantly surprised to find that many of the students who were most resistant to the idea actually said they like their new campus better.

Intradistrict transfers ended this year, but Robertson points out that there are slightly more students waiting to enroll at Ventura High than Buena.

“We feel very validated,” Robertson said. “We’re doing well by the kids even if once in a while the test scores aren’t as good as they should be.”

Known for his friendliness with colleagues as well as with students, Robertson taught chemistry and math at Buena High School for 12 years. In 1977, he became assistant principal, then principal at Balboa Middle School before moving to his present post.

Ventura High staff members said they understood that it would be temporary and that Robertson was taking the post in the last leg of his career, almost as a favor to the district.

“I’d say he was a very stable influence, very calming,” said English teacher Terri Schroeder, who has been through three principals since 1990. “It seems like the community really supports him, so he’ll be missed.

Students who know Robertson said the principal is easy to approach. “He’s all right,” said senior Daniel Ojeda. “He’ll help you if you need it.”

Though Robertson made it a point to attend plays and athletic events as well as wander the campus during breaks between classes, some students said he was not very well known.

“I’m dead serious,” said one student. “So many people on campus don’t even know what he looks like.”

Robertson, whose wife retired from the district a year ago, said of his decision: “I’m at an age where I could have retired a couple of years ago. As far as the school is concerned, it’s been a pleasant experience. We changed the way the school is perceived dramatically.”

As for his future, Robertson will be spending a lot of time outdoors. The man who paddled 300 miles of the Colorado River, kayaked down the waterways of Zimbabwe and river-rafted in Australia, plans next to kayak Idaho’s Payette River. He may even take up rock climbing again, after quitting that sport years ago.

Aside from all his outdoor adventures, what else does Robertson look forward to?

“I have a habit. It’s fine wine--not Gallo,” Robertson said. “Being a chemist, I might try my hand at making it at a fine winery and learn how to do it. It sure would be nice.”