Written by Lyle Weems, Staff Writer
As of the start of the 2026-2027 school year, Mrs. Gentry has become an exciting new addition to the Poly Staff community.
This year, Viviana Gentry has taken the position of assistant principal, specifically overseeing attendance on campus. Having worked in education for 17 years, Mrs. Gentry adopts this role with confidence. She is a previous high school assistant principal in Chino Hills, and a program specialist for special education, leaving her well equipped to lead with confidence.
Gentry came to Riverside Poly with a hope for growth. Having been impressed by the leadership within the district as it “aligned with [her] focus” in education, when a role opened up, she jumped at the opportunity.
Now here, Gentry expresses much excitement toward working on the Poly campus. Between the “rich history” and rich experiences, she is excited to join a community that seems to create an atmosphere of “originality” and “passion.” She has observed Poly to be a campus full of opportunity and high engagement, and she could not be more excited to dedicate herself to the student body and campus community.
Focusing on her job as assistant principal of attendance, Gentry values “getting to know students” above all else. Since every individual has a “story,” she finds the most important part of her role to be connecting with students. She hopes that she can establish trust between herself and the student body, so that student input can express itself freely on both individual and campus wide levels. To be able to find the root of the problem coming from the students itself for a collaborative campus.
Beyond hoping to increase student attendance, Gentry truly desires to create a welcoming environment for students to speak up and become inspired by school.
Now for the long awaited question, how to stay out of her office?
Gentry explains that she actually welcomes students to the office, beyond just corrective behavior meetings. Many students come to the office simply to chat with staff, and that creates a lively atmosphere of comfort between students and staff. Specifically relating to her job, she repeats how important it is to “be honest” about causes behind low attendance as she is here to help you and allow you to find “opportunities and engagement” during the High school years. She is always willing to speak to students to help them thrive.