There will be a new face around Cedarwood Elementary school next year. Jill Tokumoto, who currently serves as an assistant principal in the Everett School District, will be taking principal Greg Gelderman’s place beginning July 1.
Gelderman will serve as the new principal at Heatherwood Middle School beginning this summer.
“It’s an opportunity to continue working with my students there, because about 80 percent of the kids here go on to Heatherwood,” Gelderman said.
Though he said he will miss the staff and community at Cedarwood, Gelderman feels Tokumoto will be a good fit for the school.
Tokumoto comes to Cedarwood with nine years of experience. She spent four years teaching in the Edmonds School District, has held an assistant principal position in Houston, Texas and currently works as an assistant principal at Madison and Lowell elementary schools.
Now, Tokumoto said, she is ready for a new position, and is excited that it will be so close to home.
“I have worked for the last nine years to be a principal, and Cedarwood has a wonderful reputation of a wonderful staff, supportive parents and great kids,” Tokumoto said. “And I live right by Cedarwood, so I’ve met a lot of the families I will be working with while walking my dog.”
Tokumoto said she is a very “outdoorsy” person, and she loves to go camping and hiking.
Originally from Hawaii, Tokumoto has traveled through Europe and the United States. As for what she will bring to Cedarwood as the new principal, Tokumoto said her organization and communication skills and love for meeting new people will be her strongest points.
“I plan to spend a lot of time in the classroom getting to know each student,” Tokumoto said. “And I am really excited to get going.”
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