Bipoc News

Pacifica’s ‘singing principal’ engages students through music

Student band members perform a concert at the Pacifica School District.

Credit: Courtesy of Tom Stafford

Tom Stafford has been singing his heart out since he was 5 years old, performing in a gospel trio with his sister, Pam, and their mother, Doris. The Stafford Family singers traveled all over Appalachia with their unique three-part harmony. 

“My mother used to say I came out of the womb singing,” says Stafford, who grew up in Vanceburg, Kentucky, before studying music at Morehead State University and getting a master’s degree in education at the University of Louisville. 

Tom Stafford, former music teacher, principal and arts coordinator for Pacifica School District.
Credit: Courtesy of Tom Stafford

The exuberant 61-year-old hasn’t stopped singing yet. When Stafford first landed at the Pacifica School District just south of San Francisco in 2002 as a choral director, he taught music to all the…

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