Meet Your Principal: Dr. Vicky Dudek Aims to Make Landmark MS the Best in Riverside County

This year, Landmark Middle School in Moreno Valley welcomed its newest principal, Dr. Vicky Dudek, to its family, and she’s settling in to an environment that she already loves, she said. Coming on board, she said, “has been a very positive experience. The staff is very talented. It’s been a joy to get to know them. Walking outside during lunch, I’m approached by students every day. Everyone has been very welcoming.” Prior to beginning her role as principal at Moreno Valley Unified School District’s (MVUSD) Landmark Middle School, Dr. Dudek, a 25-year Corona resident, worked as an Assistant Principal at MVUSD’s Valley View High School for two years. Prior to that, she worked as an Assistant Principal in the Corona/Norco Unified School District for three years and as a math and history teacher for a total of 10 years at the Anaheim Union and Corona/Norco Unified school districts. Alongside her role as a middle school principal, Dudek is also an adjunct professor at Concordia University, teaching other educators pursuing their master’s degrees in school administration; she has been an adjunct professor at the university for two years. Dudek worked briefly in finance after receiving her bachelor’s degree from California State University Fullerton, but was inspired to begin teaching after seeing the passion her husband, who is a high school band teacher in the Corona/Norco district, had for the profession, and the academic relationships he was building with his students. That’s when she decided to go back to school and learn to teach, she noted. Dudek received a master’s degree in educational technology from National University, and completed her Ed.D. at USC. It was her desire to make a positive impact in children’s lives that led her to seek an administrative position after a decade of teaching, she shared. “I saw a chance to make a big difference in the students’ lives. Research says that in middle school, attendance, behavior and grades determine if the students will go on to graduate from high school and if they will be college students. I felt it was a calling for me, since I also taught middle school,” she said. “In any role I’ve served, I’m in this business to change kids’ lives. I want to ensure they receive the best education they can get, and encourage every student to go to college.” She stressed that she felt college was an essential part of career success in the modern world. With a staff of nearly 60 and a student body totaling close to 1,400 students, Dudek and the rest of Landmark Middle School have big dreams—they want to become “the best middle school in Riverside County.” “I want students in Moreno Valley to have every opportunity they can possibly have, so they are college and career ready, just as much as or more so than those at other schools in the country.” She plans to help the middle school reach number one by improving classroom teaching and building positive relationships with the students. Her focus for her first year at the school is “to understand the culture of the school and the community, and get to know my staff and as many parents as possible.” She stated that she is also eager to help prepare the teachers for the Common Core standards they are mandated to teach beginning next year, which aims to prepare students for college education and career with an emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving skills, effective written and oral communication skills, and creative and collaborative skills, aiming also to teach students to be more analytical and rely less on memorization. Another goal of Dudek’s is to expand the school’s performing arts programs, including band, choir and drama, a goal close to her heart, she shared. “The performing arts connect kids to school and makes them want to come to school,” she said. “It also teaches leadership, and kids improve academically by the things they do in the performing arts. When she’s not in the classroom, Dudek enjoys horseback riding. She has a quarter horse, Bella, who has been with her for seven years. She and her husband of 25 years—her high school sweetheart—have two children: Aaron, 22, who is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, and Megan, 17, who is now a senior in high school.