DYNAMIC DUO—Maryellen Lang, left, is the director of education, and Doreen Learned, right, is the director of operations at the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education. WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers Maryellen Lang and Doreen Learned are the directors of the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education.

The pair fill the shoes of retired principal Janet Kanongata’a, who will stay on as a consultant for the kindergarten-through-eighthgrade charter school.

“We are very excited for the opportunity,” Lang said. “We have great ideas, and we’re excited to bring them to the CAPE community.”

CAPE, founded in 2007, was created by parents who were upset with Pleasant Valley School District’s decision to close Los Senderos Open School due to budget cuts and shrinking enrollment in the district. Lang and Learned have been with the school since it first opened its doors and were instrumental in its founding.

Chartered by Oxnard Union High School District, CAPE quickly took shape and opened just months after the closure of Los Senderos, with Kanongata’a as its principal and superintendent.

The school emphasizes the arts and hands-on learning. It also offers sports, band and two robotics teams.

CAPE, which opened with 328 students, will begin the new school year on Aug. 30 with a total enrollment of 576.

Most of the school’s students are from Camarillo, though youngsters from Moorpark, Thousand Oaks and Oxnard also attend.

Maryellen Lang

As the director of education, Lang is in charge of teaching-based responsibilities such as curriculum development, human resources and communication with staff.

Lang arrived at Los Senderos in 2005 as a sixth-grade teacher. When CAPE opened two years later, Lang divided her time between teaching and handling assistant principal responsibilities.

Lang said her 10 years of classroom experience help her better understand the challenges teachers face and what they need on a dayto day basis to provide students with a top-notch education.

“I believe in the philosophy of looking at each individual child and seeing how they learn instead of fitting a child into a curriculum,” Lang said. “(At CAPE), we’re not tied into the bureaucracy of a school district. We’re able to make changes and don’t have to wait until the curriculum is approved. As a small staff, we can decide what’s best for our students.”

Lang and her husband, Brian, have a 3-year-old daughter, Josie.

Doreen Learned

As director of operations, a position she’s held since CAPE opened, Learned runs the business side of the school. She is in charge of hiring teachers, approving curriculum, writing grants and negotiating the school’s rent.

Learned says she knows firsthand that CAPE’s student-centered approach to teaching works.

She was one of the parents who fought to establish CAPE in 2007 and has been one of its leaders since it opened.

Her daughter Emily, 15, attended CAPE during her middle school years. As a parent, Learned recognized the style of teaching at CAPE worked best for her child.

“I liked the idea of teaching to the whole child,” Learned said. “These people take the time to figure out your child and celebrate their strengths. I take real pride in this school because real expectations are set and the children are meeting those expectations. When you set the bar high, children will rise to the occasion.”

Learned has a background in special education and in business, experience that made her a natural fit as an administrator at CAPE.

“I make sure the school is fiscally fit and that we’re spending our money wisely,” Learned said.

Learned and her husband, Chris, have two children.

‘Our passion in life’

Lang and Learned said they believe having a K-8 school is beneficial for the students because the middle school students are the leaders of the school and are expected to be role models for younger students.

“This environment allows them to take the time to figure out who they are,” Learned said.

Lang and Learned have worked with each other for four years and know the other’s job well, so they often help one another when needed.

“This is definitely more than a job. It’s our passion in life,” Lang said.

Learned and Lang said they expect to build on the foundation that is already present at the school.

Changes in the coming school year will include more physical education for the fourth- and fifthgraders.

There will also be a new glee club, after- school leadership classes and a musical theater program for the fourth- and fifthgraders. In addition, the music program for K-3 students now includes instruments.

“This school ignites the love of learning and encourages each individual to be the best he or she can be. That’s pretty powerful,” Learned said.