Clarke Central High School Associate Principal Dr. Linda Boza holds up a photo of her family in her office. As an educator for more than 18 years, her five children understood the importance of education. “They didn’t take it lightly. They knew that we were serious about them getting an education and they were good students, and for the most part, enjoyed school,” Boza said. Photo by Krista Shumaker
During her 18 years at Clarke Central High School, CCHS Associate Principal Dr. Linda Boza has served in a number of roles, including an instructional coach and Assistant Principal. For Boza, part of her love for the Clarke County School District that has kept her here for so long stems from her five children’s experiences in the school system and the relationships she has built.
Knowing that she would be an educator since kindergarten, her love for the education of students has never wavered.
“For me, (teaching is) fostering a love, so I always wanted to be excited about what I taught because, if you’re not, students (won’t be),” Boza said.
Initially, Boza was not planning on working at CCHS, but after a different job in the Clarke County School District fell through, Boza applied to be an instructional coach at CCHS.
“My (doctorate) degree (is) in curriculum and instruction, and I took a lot of teaching method classes so I thought, ‘It was just like this (was a) match made in heaven.’ So I said, ‘OK, I know I took this job teaching ninth grade English for you (and) I don’t want you to think I’m fickle, but I want to apply (to be an instructional coach). And (former CCHS principal Dr. Maxine Easom) said, ‘Well, absolutely, go ahead,’” Boza said.
After her five children graduated from CCHS, Boza felt ready to pursue a higher administrative role.
“There’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of duties that come under (the Associate Principal) position, so I’m just trying to balance every day and chip away at all of those things so that nothing gets too far behind,” Boza said. “I learned a lot about organization while I was an instructional coach. I learned how to balance the many hats that I wore and this position is not much different.”
For Boza, one of the most rewarding parts of being in an administrative role is the opportunity to work with students.
“Last year, I had a student who needed 10 credits. He was in his fourth year, but he was struggling to get to school and do his assignments because he had to work to pay the rent because his parent was disabled and he just didn’t know what to do,” Boza said. “I talked to him about (Foothills Education Charter School,) and he had never heard of it before. He met with his counselor and he enrolled in Foothills and he came back to school two weeks later and thanked me and told me how it was all working out.”
One of Boza’s biggest priorities is her family, having five children who all went through the CCSD school system: 26-year-old Alexander, 25-year-old Harrison, 23-year-old Analisa, 20-year-old Nicolena and 18-year-old Antonio.
“I’ve had my educational leadership add-on degree for a long time, (but) I didn’t use it because I just felt like it wasn’t time, I needed to be there for my children,” Boza said.
Clarke Central High School Associate Principal Dr. Linda Boza and her 20-year-old daughter Nicolina Boza take a selfie during a trip to Italy in June, 2017. During Nicolina’s childhood, Boza was heavily involved in her after school activities. “She would pick me up from one sport with hot dinner that she made with chocolate milk or something, and then bring me to the next sport. When she would pick me up from that sport, she had more food for me,” Nicolina said. “She took the time to actually go home and pack me a meal, warm it up and bring it in the car.” Photo courtesy of Nicolina Boza
Boza’s love of teaching and school was inherited by her children, who at a young age were excited to go to school.
“When I would have a baby, the kids who were already born would get upset because they didn’t want to stay at home with me and a baby that was boring. They wanted to go to school,” Boza said. “Being (at CCHS) when they went through high school was the most amazing experience for me because I got to see them all the time.”
With all of her children attending CCHS, Boza was able to be a comforting presence and provide guidance during the school day.
“I went through a period in my life, especially in middle school, where I was very reckless (and) impulsive. So, when I came (to CCHS,) I had to tone it down as much as I could because I didn’t want to make my mom look bad,” Antonio said. “If she wasn’t there for the time I was here, I would’ve done a lot worse. Her guidance is very comforting because she knows me so well, (and) she was able to provide me with the support that I needed.”
Working in the same school building as her children were attending made it easier for Boza to build deeper connections with the school and faculty, such as her relationship with CCHS instructional coach and former English department teacher Ginger Lehmann.
“We have children that are the same age, so we’ve kind of been going through similar experiences with our children in different years of education, Lehmann said. “I’ve also taught several of her children, so I’ve had that experience.”
According to CCHS Assistant Principal Summer Smith, Boza has been an inspiration to her own coworkers for her dedication to both her career and her family.
“Dr. Boza is completely committed to Clarke Central High School. She has been here for a long time, she has a deeply held love and interest for the well-being of this school,” Smith said. “She works really hard to make sure that teachers and students have what they need and that everything is going well (at CCHS).”
Juggling between her career and her family, Boza always made time for her children, whether that was during family road trips or simply shopping for groceries.
“We took a recent family trip to Portland, (Oregon) and everything we did (she was) just so willing to try new things and explore different cities and try just about anything. Anytime that I’m with her is something new,” Harrison said. “Back in elementary school, my go-to thing was always going to a grocery store with her and helping her shop for groceries for the coming week.”
This sense of family was developed during long family road trips, which continued even during the school years at CCHS.
Clarke Central High School Associate Principal Dr. Linda Boza and her 25-year-old son Harrison Boza pose in front of Cannon Beach, Oregon, in 2019. One of the family’s favorite pastimes is traveling. “Whenever we’re outside of our normal, day-to-day routine, we always find anything exciting to do, whether that’s going to the beach, exploring new cities (or) spending quality time,” Harrison said. “(My mom) loves playing games, so finding new board games, any kind of games, always sparks her interest.” Photo courtesy of Harrison Boza
“We sang songs, we told jokes and they just yap the whole way so that I never could get tired because they were so animated,” Boza said. “Even now, no matter who is in town, they will call me out of the blue and they’ll say, ‘Are you at work today?’ because sometimes I’m in a meeting and if I am they’ll say, ‘All right,’ and they’ll stop by with a coffee. They know what I like, (and) they know what keeps me going.”
While her children have graduated from CCHS and most have moved away from home, the distance does not stop them from being a close-knit family.
“I tell my mom a lot, and then she tells me a lot. If I have big news or anything I usually call her first and tell her. I don’t really have any secrets from her,” Nicolina said. “We just talk a lot, I call her a lot even though I don’t live at home.”
Throughout her extensive career in education, Boza’s greatest achievements is her family and maintaining a supportive home.
“The ultimate goal in life for me (is) to know that my children want to come home. (They) get upset with each other when they can’t come home. When we’re trying to pull the whole family together, or if we’re trying to pull off a family vacation and somebody can’t make it, they brainstorm and they figure out a way to get that other person there for at least part of the time,” Boza said. “They’re very close, they call each other, we joke with each other, we have a family text thread, we have a family Snapchat thread and they make me laugh every single day.”
