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Chris Borgen relies on research and collaborative leadership to "unlock learning" for kids.ANACORTES, Washington— For thousands of visitors each year, Anacortes is a way station. At the northern end of Puget Sound, a short bridge away from the mainland, land gives way to water on all sides. Street traffic ebbs and flows with the ferry schedules. Vacationers who pour through this island community en route to the San Juans or Victoria, B.C., might linger long enough notice the folksy murals painted on the historic downtown buildings or browse at the antique shops and art galleries. But few would guess that quaint Anacortes (pop. 13,900) is home to one of the most forward-looking schools in the country. For 500 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, Fidalgo Elementary is a way station to the future. Throughout the past 14 years, Principal Chris Borgen has been helping his rural school steer a course toward academic excellence. Seafaring metaphors fall flat, however, in the presence of this soft-spoken school leader. Borgen is not one to bark orders or pull rank. He's more of a sweater guy than the spit-and-polish type. Indeed, he sees himself as more coach than captain. And like a good coach, he credits his entire staff for the many honors and awards on display inside the school's front doors: Exemplary School Award from the U.S. Department of Education, 1989; America's Best School Award from Redbook magazine, 1994; Schools for the 21st Century grant recipient, 1990-1995. Since last spring, when Borgen was named the National Distinguished Principal for the state of Washington, he's been instinctively deflecting the attention to his "hardworking, incredible staff." Chuckling affectionately, his teachers, secretary, and other staff members acknowledge that their esteemed leader is probably embarrassed by all the fuss. "It's awkward for Chris to be in the spotlight like this," says one teacher who's known him since his first day on the job. "He's such a collaborator. He's not the type to grab all the glory for himself." But when the conversation shifts to the school rather than its leader, Borgen is back on comfortable footing. This is the success story he knows well. What's more, he's made sure that every person in the building has had a hand in crafting it.
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Date of Last Update: 9/28/01 
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