Dr. Damien Pattenaude has been serving as the superintendent of the Renton School District for roughly six years, but what led him to the success he’s achieved today? We at the Renton Hawk Eye decided to interview him about the triumphs and challenges throughout his career.  These were his answers:  

What made you want to become the superintendent?  

• I never really knew what a superintendent was or what a superintendent did on a day-to-day basis. When I was a sophomore in college, I gave a speech at a Future Teachers of  Color event. After the speech, someone came up to me and said they thought I would be an outstanding superintendent someday. That is what put the idea in my head. I never thought the opportunity to become a superintendent would have come so relatively early in my career. What has made this job (and other jobs like the principal at RHS) special is getting to serve in the community where I grew up, went to school, and now live. 

What does it take to be successful?  

• When thinking about the role of superintendent, I have always liked a quote from  Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll where he said, “I’ve got to orchestrate excellence.” As a superintendent, I am not involved in providing direct services to students, families, or staff. However, I am responsible for helping to create the conditions that make space for outstanding learning and teaching to take place. I believe the heart of a school district is in the classroom and the relationship between the student and teacher.  The rest of us in the district support that relationship. Therefore, a superintendent needs to be humble to know that they are not directly responsible for the success of the organization but rather it will be through other people’s successes that mutual goals are achieved. Additionally, superintendents must be organized and confident enough to hire people smarter than them and able to manage a breadth of responsibilities as well as the stresses inherent in the job.

Have you ever made a choice throughout your career that you regret?  

• I cannot think of a choice that I regret. However, I can think of several decisions that were very difficult professional choices: leaving the classroom (and coaching) to go back to school to become a principal; and leaving RHS to go to the district office. The reason why both of these decisions were tough is that I truly enjoyed working directly with students and coaching. Furthermore, I consider RHS to be like a second home. 

How do you handle difficult situations?  

• I try to stay calm and focused on solutions. I talk about trying to be on the balcony and dance floor simultaneously. What that means is that when you are in a difficult situation  (i.e., on the dance floor), you have to mentally get to the balcony so that you can get a  greater perspective of what is going on and what options there are for a response. I also like members of my Cabinet to share their honest perspectives and tell me if they think a  decision I am making is stupid and/or doomed to fail. Reaching out to trusted colleagues is another strategy I use when facing difficult situations.

What is your most significant accomplishment to date?  

• As a superintendent, in terms of long-term impact, I believe the passage of the 2019  School Bond (at the time the largest in history and best voter approval in history) and  2022 School Bond (now the largest in history) will help to shape the future schools students in this community will attend for the next 50-100 years. Additionally, the potential construction of a new Renton High School is a major change for the oldest school in our district. As for shorter term, I am proud of helping to bring the IB Program to Renton High School and launching the West Hill Now!/Renton Innovation Zone initiative.  

Who is/was your mentor?  

• I have had several mentors: 

○ Rick Comer (former RHS Basketball Coach) 

○ Sue Beeson (former Hazen principal) 

○ Art Jarvis (former RSD Superintendent) 

○ Carl Cohn (former Long Beach and San Diego Superintendent) 

Who are your biggest motivators?  

• My family. From the time I was a kid, my goal has always been to make my parents proud.  This remains true to this day. Now, I am also motivated by my wife and kids. From a  work perspective, I am motivated to help students walk across that stage confidently in the next step they are taking. As I used to say when I was a principal, it is less about where you are graduating from and more about what you are graduating from. 

From the way Dr. Damien Pattenaude answered each question, we can conclude that he is a very accomplished individual, but we can also infer that it took hard work and dedication to get to where he is today. Of course,  careers such as this don’t come without mistakes and regrets because, as we all know, nobody’s perfect. His journey as an educator and superintendent could serve as an inspiration to many young aspiring educators because it entails the path to true greatness and what’s necessary to reach it.