WHITTIER – The Whittier Union High School District has selected Mary Chapman, Pioneer High School’s current assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, to take the helm as the school’s new principal.

Chapman, who has more than 15 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, began her career as a biology instructor and activities director at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. Chapman came to Pioneer in 2016 as the assistant principal of guidance and counseling.

“I am excited, honored and humbled to shift into the role of principal at Pioneer High,” Chapman said. “Thank you to Whittier Union and the Board of Trustees for giving me this amazing opportunity. In six years at Pioneer, I have grown to love our community. I’d like to thank everyone at Pioneer High and especially Lilia Bozigian. I will do whatever it takes to guide the Titan family to the next level.”

Chapman will succeed current Pioneer principal Lilia Bozigian, who will join Whittier Union’s executive cabinet as assistant superintendent of educational services.

As Pioneer’s assistant principal of guidance from 2016 to 2020, Chapman collaborated with counselors, overseeing an increase in A-G eligibility and graduation rates among students. Under Chapman’s supervision, Pioneer was the first school in the District to move to paperless registration, enabling a smooth transition when COVID-19 struck the following year.

Moving into the position of assistant principal of curriculum in the summer of 2020, Chapman created a master schedule based on the needs of students and teachers, then adjusted it to accommodate an alternate calendar and bell schedule for distance learning.

“I have nothing but praise for Mary Chapman, who has been pivotal in creating a campus culture of student achievement and success at Pioneer,” Bozigian said. “I can’t wait to see how Pioneer progresses with Mary at the helm. She is the personification of Titan Pride.”

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WUHSD_CHAPMAN: Mary Chapman, Pioneer High School’s assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, has been selected to serve as the school’s new principal in 2022-23.