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TABLE ROCK ELEMENTARY New principal at Table Rock Elementary brings unique perspective Former field worker got a late start on his education Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 7, 2015 at 2:27 PM Updated Jul 7, 2015 at 5:01 PM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 7, 2015 at 2:27 PM Updated Jul 7, 2015 at 5:01 PM » Social News WHITE CITY — Jose-de-Jesus Melendez came to the Rogue Valley in 1981 from Mexico at age 17 with a fourth-grade education and worked in the orchards and packing plants for 10 years. This fall he will be principal at Eagle Point School District’s Table Rock Elementary School. The new principal wants Table Rock to become a dual-language immersion school with all students learning in both Spanish and English. He also wants Spanish-speaking students to identify with him. The school has one of the highest percentages of Latino students in the valley, according to Allen Barber, district human resources director. From 2012 until June, Melendez was director of equity, diversity and inclusion in the Bellevue, Washington, school district. He is looking forward to more contact with children. “It’s been a while. I’ve been focused at the district level,” Melendez said. “I was missing so much being around kids. It’s tough for me to be cooped up in a district-level administration office and not be accessible. To many people I was invisible.” Melendez says he feels a moral and professional obligation to make every child ready for college, even if they don’t go. Melendez had heard of the GED degree and viewed it as a way to get a better job after 10 years of physical labor. “I could feel my body in pain because of the hard field work, so why not get a GED and start to get a better job?” Melendez explained. He took prep courses to pass the GED at the University of Oregon, returning to the Rogue Valley on weekends to work and visit. “I never imagined that a person like myself could even think of college, much less go to college,” said Melendez, recalling when a GED teacher suggested that path. At 28 he was a freshman at Southern Oregon University. Lacking an academic background, he came close to quitting until an adviser mentored him. Melendez transferred to Eastern Oregon State College later and earned a bachelor’s degree in bilingual education and English as a second language. He’s gone on to earn a master’s in the same subjects from Boise State University, and an Educational Specialist degree in leadership from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. He’s pursing a doctorate through Northwest Nazarene. “I’ve always loved learning, it was just so difficult not being a fluent English speaker,” Melendez said. “I had set my mind to succeed.” Melendez has been teaching and working in education administration while earning his advanced degrees. Before his latest position, he was an assistant director in the Reynolds School District, which serves a Portland suburb. In all, he’s worked in school districts for 17 years as a teacher, building principal, district coordinator and director in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Melendez grew up in a rural village near Juchipila in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. He came to the United States so he could send money home to aid his family. He had cousins in the valley when he first arrived and says he will reconnect with relatives and friends here. With Jodi Salinas, who has been assistant principal for a year, and staff members, Melendez will design and lay out the future of the school. One of his biggest challenges will be finding bilingual teachers, who are scarce, he admits. “We want him to close the achievement gap,” Barber said. “The Table Rock staff has already made great strides in closing the gap, and we feel like his experience is going to help even more.” Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected] By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 7, 2015 at 2:27 PM Updated Jul 7, 2015 at 5:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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