As the new school year rolls around, so does a new principal. Here are eight interesting things about the new leader of Upper Arlington High School
By Owen Auch, ’15
He enjoys working with young people.
“I went to college, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I found out I liked science a lot. So I majored in science, not knowing what I wanted to do other than that I liked it. I graduated with a degree in science, and I took a year to substitute teach and coach a little bit, and I really liked working with young people. So that was kind of the spur to go into education.”
He loves seeing students grow through high school.
“I enjoy working with young adults because they’re [ready] to go on their own and for me to see that transition from when they’re in middle school and rely a lot on mom and dad to when they leave high school and are off on their own; I think that’s a really cool thing.”
He has advice for freshmen.
“For freshmen, my advice is to get involved with something. We offer so much here, there’s so many different things you can get involved in. Try something out, and if it doesn’t work, try something else. And if there’s nothing here that interests you, start your own club. But get involved and try to find your niche here because this is a big place but we offer so much that it makes it feel like a small community.”
He is well educated.
“I went to high school at Bishop Watterson High School, and then I went to Wright State University and graduated in Biology and played baseball there. I got a master’s from Ohio State University in science education and I got a master’s from Ashland [University] in education leadership. So I’ve been around.”
He has a focus on attendance.
“One thing that we are going to take a look at is attendance, specifically unexcused absences where students are skipping. We’re going to have a closer watch on what’s going on there. But we’re not closing down campus or doing all these changes like that …We’re going to sit and talk to students, and figure out how we can make this a better experience for them.”
He wants the school to be a community.
“We’re going to look at the building as a whole and figure out what we can do. And part of that also is talking to students, talking to parents. This is a community building, and we are here to serve you and serve the community. So we have to have all the stakeholders involved before we make a bunch of changes.”
He has lots of hobbies.
“I like to do a lot of things. I like to exercise, I like to bike and run, and I like to work out with weights. But I also like to spend time with my family and my kids; my kids crack me up, I love just being with them. I love to scuba dive. I have a lot of hobbies so when I have the time I try to figure out which one is best but it usually involves my kids.”
He jams out to classic rock.
“Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time. I have every single album and song.”