By Sahar Chmais
During her time at the Impact Center, Sylvia Villejo experienced a lot of heartache, from watching some students addicted to drugs, dying or just seeing the difficulty of their home life. Villejo also saw many good times; her proudest were watching students correct their path after graduation.
As principal of the Impact Center, Villejo could fill a book with her daily encounters, like being in the middle of a fight, depositing lunch money into student accounts, sewing holes in uniforms and tutoring kids. But this chapter of Villejo’s life is coming to a close, as she is ready to retire as principal after almost 20 years.
“It has just gotten harder and I am getting older,” Villejo said, explaining why she is retiring. “I went down in restraints before and I am too old for that,” she laughed. “I am tired and ready to do something new.”
While the job can come with its own burdens, Villejo has strong belief in the abilities of the misunderstood children that walk the halls of the school. Many times kids at the center are lacking structure in their home life, so during her time as principal, Villejo made sure she would try to give them what they needed.
Everybody has a picture in their mind of what the Impact Center is supposed to be, like gangs hanging out in the halls, Villejo said, but that is not true. The biggest point she makes for her students is that they are not there to be punished; instead, the staff is there to get them back on track.
One way Villejo tried to make the kids feel welcome is by steering away from negative language about losing points. Instead, they talk about earning what they are getting, clearly listing out expectations and positive learning.
“Most kids respond real well to it,” she said. “They like the attention given here. We have art work on the walls the kids have done; we don’t want [the Impact Center] to look like a prison.”
Villejo has visited similar centers in Austin and found them to look like a dungeon, so she wanted to do something else for her students so it does not feel like a prison pipeline.
The hard work pays off in many cases.
“I’m most proud of when the kids come back and they have become successful living a positive life,” Villejo told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. “Some come back and apologize for their behavior. They will tell us about their kids and sometimes they bring their kids.”
Although Villejo shared many bittersweet stories of her time at the Impact Center, she felt hopeful about what will come after the end of her career. The district has been very supportive of the Impact Center and Villejo knows this will continue after she leaves.
Cynthia Zapata will be the principal that succeeds Villejo and will begin working at the center before Villejo is gone.
“I’ve grown so connected to our students and it makes it hard to let go of them," Villejo said. "It is time to pass the torch and allow someone else to reap the rewards.”
Villejo advises the incoming principal to make changes necessary to improve the program and to take good care of herself.
“That is the only way you can maintain stamina and beat my 23 years,” Villejo joked.
As Villejo says her goodbyes to decades in the education sector, she is welcoming in a new way of life and plans to chase her love for camping and travel.
She bought a trailer to see parts of the country she has never been to and plans to eventually make it out to Canada. The trips are not all mapped out yet, but Villejo knows for certain her love for travel will guide her to Boston, Cape Cod and more.
