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Francisco Lopez Atanes takes helm at AHS, Susan Hollandsworth at Helman

Classes start for all Ashland students on Tuesday, Aug. 26, as the 2025-26 school year kicks off and, with it, some new leadership at Ashland schools, including new interim principals Francisco Lopez Atanes at Ashland High School and Susan Hollandsworth at Helman Elementary School.

Atanes has served in various roles since arriving at AHS just before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including most recently as assistant principal and athletic director. He started as a Spanish teacher at AHS in 2020 and during his time there has also coached track and field, basketball, and soccer.

The district launched a recruiting effort in June for a new principal, according to a written statement from Ashland Superintendent Joseph Hattrick, and Atanes was appointed to the role officially in early August.

“Ashland High School is my home,” Atanes told Ashland.news last week in his office on campus. “If I’m being asked to help, I’ll never say no.

“I will do my best with whatever role I am entrusted with,” he added. “With the community, with the teachers — we are in this together.”

Rebecca Bjornson will backfill Atanes’ position as interim assistant principal and director of Athletics, Activities, Special Education, and Safety Programs, according to her LinkedIn page.

Becca Laroi will also serve as assistant principal at Ashland High School.

“We have since determined that there is not sufficient time to conduct a comprehensive and inclusive search before the school year begins,” Hattrick said in a written statement. “To ensure strong and stable leadership during this critical time, we have made the decision to appoint a one-year interim principal for Ashland High School while we prepare for a nationwide search for a permanent leader.”

Hattrick described Atanes as “highly qualified,” and an “experienced administrator.” He noted he will also be asked to apply for the permanent position as part of the search to fill the role permanently.

“His student-centered leadership and dedication to holistic education make him well-suited to guide AHS through the coming year,” Hattrick said.

Alongside Laroi, Atanes cooked up hotdogs last week as the district prepared to start the school year off right.

Atanes has held a lot of jobs in his several years with the district, but he sees them all through a similar lens: “What is best for kids and what is good for the community.”

“For me, it’s about creating the best possible experience for students now,” Atanes said.

Atanes wants to create “time and space to build community” among staff and students as he enters his newest role this fall. Being present as a principal and ensuring staff and students feel comfortable at school are among his top priorities.

“That’s my goal,” he said.“The life of our school is in the classrooms and that’s made possible by the teachers, by the classified and support staff. You want to be where the life of the school is happening.”

Inside Atanes’ office last week, a colorful pinata sits overlooking the room, with soothing sounds of nature playing in the background.

A name placard stating “chaos coordinator” sits on his desk.

Atanes said he wants an office where his own four children – ages 8 to 14 – would feel comfortable (His 14-year-old will also be a freshman in this year’s cohort).

“School is supposed to be a place where the kids can make mistakes and they still feel safe,” Atanes said. “Better here than in the real world.”

Atanes wasn’t always an educator

When he lived in Spain, he practiced law as an attorney. He also taught Constitutional Law.

“When I came to the states, I thought, I want to do something different,” Atanes said.

“I decided to work in secondary education,” he added. “I couldn’t do this without the support of my wife.”

She is also an educator and teaches Spanish in Ashland School District.

Atanes brings a consistent, positive, forward-thinking and professional approach to his role and aims for the school to produce lifelong learners.

“I think we have to create a positive, safe environment for students and staff,” Atanes said. “I believe that people that are smiling are learning more and they’re more engaged.

“We don’t have to be scared of innovation,” he added. “Things can look different.”

Atanes said if schools don’t move forward or anticipate 21st century skills like artificial intelligence, “then we’re falling behind.”

This school year, a scaled-up no cellphone policy requires policy adoption by Oct. 31 with full implementation no later than Jan. 1, according to an executive order put in place by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

Atanes would like to work with staff to build a new cellphone policy to find a way to make the executive order from the government effective for the some-900 students attending Ashland High School.

Atanes said the school district already implemented the no-cellphone policy last year on their own, “because we believe this is good for kids and it was working fairly well.”

He said students understand that too much screen time on cellphones can lead to having an unhealthy relationship with the device.

“It’s about creating a space where you can be fully present while learning,” Atanes said of the policy.

Atanes is cognizant that students coming into and moving through high school are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic developmentally, as many were in elementary and/or middle school at the time.

“I think the challenges that we’re facing now are different,” he said.

With a culture where students consume 50-second Tik Tok videos, Atanes is aware that traditional class schedules are in direct competition for their attention spans.

“When your brain is wired to do that, how do you sit in a class for 85 minutes?” Atanes said.

“So those are the challenges we have in education.”

He describes a balance where the school can be both an “early adopter” of new technologies like artificial intelligence, but also work with staff to preserve the learning process.

“(AI is) a tool and we cannot deny that it’s there,” Atanes said. “I hope that we help our students to develop critical thinking to use all the tools available to them in an effective way.”

He’s aware that while there are some residents who have grandchildren or children who attend the schools, not everyone does. As a coach, he made sure to thank those who attended to support the youth, and his approach is similar as an administrator.

“We have a beautiful, wonderful small town and the high school has a role, too,” Atanes said.

Other leadership changes

In other leadership changes district-wide, Hollandsworth will serve as Helman Elementary School principal for the 2025-26 school year. Former principal Corrine McGinnis has stepped down from her role, citing family reasons.

Hollandsworth closed out the end of the 2024-25 school year with the Helman team and brings steady leadership, experience, and strong relationships with staff and families, according to Hattrick.

“Principal Corrine McGinnis has made the difficult decision not to return for the 2025-26 school year due to personal reasons,” Hattrick said. “We are grateful for her time and leadership at Helman and wish her continued success and happiness in her future endeavors.”

McGinnis shared parting thoughts on her role at Helman as she prepares to spend more time with her family.

“It’s been a true privilege to serve as principal of Helman Elementary and to be part of a school community so deeply rooted in supporting the growth and success of our students,” McGinnis said in a statement. “I’m especially grateful for the memories made with the incredible teachers and staff at Helman — they are an inspiring team of committed educators, and I am honored to have worked alongside them.

“As I make the decision to step away from my administrative role, it’s with the intention to prioritize my family and be more present for my daughters during these important years,” she added. “Both will continue their journeys as students in Ashland and I look forward to staying connected as a district parent and peer.

“I remain deeply loyal to the Ashland School District and hopeful that we’ll continue to partner in support of our shared goals, vision, and mission that make our schools such special places to grow and learn.”

The district plans to appoint an interim leader for the coming year while a full search is conducted for Helman’s next principal, Hattrick said.

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.

By Barry Vitcov

The trumpet-like call of the conch shell ushers in the colorful and dynamic Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Allegre, a Medford-based local folk dance troupe dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of traditional Mexican folk dance. Peter Yeager’s poem captures the experience of the pulsating rhythms and sounds when he attended one of their performances.

Ballet Folklorico Ritmo Allegre Does Danza Azteca at aChoral Performance of an Aztec Mass

By Peter Yeager

The lad stood profiledstage right between us,the formally dressed singersand the hushed audiencein the darkened auditorium.His sculpted brown bodymostly exposed, draped in chest pieceand loin skirt shimmering goldlayered like fish scales,proud in crested helmet,the lad with regal bearing stood,gripped skin-tipped sticksdrove hollow rhythmson a colorful conga drumsummoning dancers heralded bythe mournful trumpet cryof conch from the other sideof the stage the dancers emergedrattling seed-filled gourd maracasand shelled anklets:syncopated feet lifting,bodies turning twisting,circling they prayedto the gods of the windsof the four directions,centering on the conchand sculpted chalice,pacing in ecstasy;then stopped and bowed religiouslyat the command of the drum.

Had ancient Aztecs entered the hallthey’d have thought it strange:

the full array of colors patternedon satins, face-painted ladies,peacock-feathered head dressesbobbing in ceremonial dance, yes.

But indoors on smooth floorsraised stage without fire,before rows of white faces,still, somber, seated as judges,all in black and white?

Peter E. Yeager lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, with his wife and two Jack Russell terriers. He has two daughters and three grandchildren. A New Jersey native, Peter holds degrees in English and law from Rutgers. Peter has worked for government, non-profits, and lawyers in New Jersey, Nebraska, Vermont, and Oregon. In 1991-92, he house-husbanded and home-schooled in Hungary. He loves choral singing. In 2022, he published “Searching for Sanctuary: The Journey Home,” Poems 1975-2022.

Poetry Submissions Welcomed!

You are invited to submit original work to the Poetry Corner. There is only one restriction: Poems ought to show a connection to Ashland and/or Southern Oregon. Your interpretation of that connection is fairly loose and mine is probably even looser! Be sure to include the title of your poem, your name as you would like it to appear, the city or town in which you reside, and, if you wish, your preferred pronouns. Finally, please submit a bio statement of less than 150 words written in the third-person.