Former San Carlos principal named ’16 Citizen of the Year

“Most of the things I’m involved in, I’m not the only one,” she said. “I don’t do this work by myself. I work with other people to make things better in the city we live in.”

Last month, the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce recognized her penchant for working with others, naming Dehner the 2016 Citizen of the Year.

“It was a total surprise,” she said.

In the 39 years since Dehner and her husband moved into their San Carlos home, she has seen several fellow residents receive the same honor. When she first arrived to the area, she started work as a teacher and school counselor for the San Carlos Elementary School District. Dehner had been working as a school counselor in Pennsylvania for 10 years prior to their move to California. Initially, she chose the teaching profession because she had been raised by parents who are educators, and she saw teaching as the field with the most opportunities for women.

“There were not a lot of career choices for women,” she said. “Teaching was one of the fields wide open for women.”

Dehner would ultimately invest more than 30 years in San Carlos schools, serving as a dean, assistant principal and principal toward the latter part of her career. She would soon find that what started as a logical career decision would become her life’s passion.

“Doing things with kids keeps my enthusiasm up,” she said. “I get incredible satisfaction out of doing things that benefit kids.”

Improving opportunities for San Carlos youth has defined the many activities that fill Dehner’s calendar. She has been able to leverage her many years of teaching and administrative experience to move a range of education projects forward. From working with school district officials, the city of San Carlos and SamTrans to devise a bus service system serving San Carlos schools to coordinating a public speaking contest for high school students, Dehner thrives on the energy she receives from students and the community engaged around them. This past fall, she hosted a reflection event for participants and supporters of Tech Trek, a one-week summer STEM camp for middle school girls, where Dehner serves as a volunteer and “dorm mom.” She was blown away by parent accounts of their daughters’ excitement when they picked them up from camp.

“That’s why I get so psyched about it,” she said. “These girls have these experiences, and when they walk out, they’re transformed.”

Though her work with countless community organizations provides her a wealth of San Carlos knowledge, Dehner never seems to stop learning. She and her husband completed the San Carlos Citizens Academy this past fall to learn more about how their city operates. Dehner also steeps herself in the history of San Carlos as a docent and board member of the Museum of San Carlos History.

As she looks into the new year, she said she hopes to build an interactive museum display with rotary telephones and typewriters to give children a window into the innovative technologies of many years ago. She is also looking forward to skiing with her two grandsons and granddaughter, who she hopes will take after her enthusiasm for the sport.

“I spend a lot of time with my grandchildren and youth,” she said. “That’s where I get my satisfaction.”

And it doesn’t look like Dehner is stopping anytime soon. She is already in the midst of helping to coordinate San Carlos Chickens’ Ball, the PTA’s major fundraising event slated for 2018. And she still answers the call to be a substitute teacher, even after 15 years of retirement.

“I even like substitute teaching,” she said. “Every time I walk out saying, ‘alright that was fun.’”

Dehner will be recognized at the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce’s Recognition Dinner Friday, Feb. 3, at Domenico Winery at 1697 Industrial Road. Tickets will be available this week. Visit sancarloschamber.org/citizen-of-the-year/ for more information.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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