Before even starting as Cerritos High School’s new principal, Dr. Crechena Wise was already envisioning and planning how she could make Cerritos shine even brighter. In May she met with several teachers, counselors, and staff members and left with a theme for this year, “We are the Gold Standard.” It is not just a theme but a reality that is now the foundation of our school culture.
Since her arrival, she has worked on team building and forming relationships with fellow admin, teachers, and students. She wants to know that Cerritos is and will continue to be a place with a strong presence in all feats: academically, athletically, and in the arts. Dr. Wise wants Cerritos to be a place where students can “feel seen and supported in their own aspirations.”
Having been principal at Tezlaff, Gahr, and occupying several district positions, most recently Director of Secondary School and Director of Curriculum Instructions, Dr. Wise has 2 decades’ worth of experience in the ABC Unified School District as well as a doctorate from USC. After working at the district, Dr. Wise took the opportunity to come back to a campus as principal. “I stepped away from the district to see the fruits of our labor.” expressing gratitude for being able to give back to the teachers and experience the effects of the system and policy she has helped to put in place, such as new classes AP seminar and Ethnic Studies, and the award of Civil Civic Engagement.
To understand the full significance of why Dr. Wise entered the field of education and takes pride in her work, we have to take you to Montgomery Alabama, and her great-grandmother, Sarah. During the 1940s and 1950s, there were very few opportunities for black women. She believed that if her children and granddaughters could be educated, “the trajectory of their lives and communities could be changed.” So, Sarah, a store owner, worked and saved the money to ensure that her kin could go to Alabama State University under the condition that they would come back and teach the community how to read.
The mission was to provide better economic opportunities, more high school diplomas, and more job opportunities. This was only accomplished because Sarah emphasized the importance of education for her granddaughters. For Dr. Wise, the significance is clear, “I am like Sarah’s Dream.” Dr. Wise has been able to go to school and work in education under the same notion of the significance of education to communities and setting examples for young women and men of underrepresented backgrounds.
Dr. Wise’s great-grandmother planted the seed of education as the gold standard in her family line, and now we are fortunate to benefit from the rewards of this philosophy. Thanks to Dr.Wise’s vision for Cerritos High School, The Gold Standard, will be seen from our buildings to our individual performances, ensuring that there is a space for everyone on this campus.
