by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

The Claremont Unified School District Board of Education has appointed Andrea Deligio as San Antonio High School’s new principal, taking over for interim principal Brett O’Connor.

Deligio, 51, begins her new assignment on July 1. She had been an assistant principal, student services at Claremont High School since 2019, where she spent three years alongside O’Connor.

“What I learned from Brett [was to] be a good listener,” Deligio said. “Even if you can’t immediately fix somebody’s concern or problem, giving them the opportunity to be heard is super valuable.”

O’Connor, who will return to his retirement after this school year, said Deligio is ready for the task ahead.

“Oh, she’s prepared,” he said. “She works wonderfully with all our students, seeing students from a viewpoint of their strengths and working with their strengths to get the most out of the students. She’s ready for a school like this and it’s great for the district that she already knows the culture and I’m really excited for the students and staff here.”

San Antonio High School’s new principal Andrea Deligio starts her new job on July 1. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Deligio aims to support teachers with whatever they need to do their job at SAHS. “That’s a huge thing, to make sure they’ve got what they need so the kids get what they need,” she said.

Deligio grew up in La Puente and is a product of private school education. She attended St. Louis of France Catholic School in her elementary years and graduated from Bishop Amat High in 1990. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a teaching credential from Cal Poly Pomona in the years that followed.

One of the ideas that drew Deligio into teaching was her desire to level the playing field for private and public school students alike. She also credits her stellar sixth and seventh grade teacher at St. Louis of France, and English teachers at Bishop Amat.

Her first job was at Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park in 1998, where she taught English and established the Advancement Via Individual Determination program. She then went to Walnut High School to teach English.

After Deligio earned her Master of Education degree and pupil personnel services and administrative credentials from the University of La Verne in 2003, she became a counselor at Walnut High. In 2013 she became an instructional dean, and in 2019 made the move over to Claremont High. She said she enjoys being on the same school calendar as her daughter Madalyn, who attends El Roble Intermediate School.

Her first year at CHS was eventful. A ransomware attack crippled the district’s internet service and heavy rains caused flooding at construction sites around the school.

“I learned very quickly a whole lot about construction, a whole lot about the campus,” she said.

Though she’s been a secondary school teacher and administrator throughout her career, some have encouraged her to try her hand at the elementary level.

“That’s not my jam,” she said. “Part of it is the content. I love English and I love reading and writing and analyzing, but part of it too is the conversations you’re able to have with the older kids.”

At her CHS office, Deligio proudly displays gifts she’s received from students over the years, including one that is especially meaningful: a Barbie doll, a keepsake from a former student she counseled that struggled with mental health challenges.

“She ended up, after graduation, going to art school and went into toy design,” Deligio said. “One of her internships, she had to design a Barbie doll that looked like Rapunzel for Target. And so, she brought one to me and she signed the back of the box and everything.”

She’s kept it in her office ever since.