[0:00] [Music]

[0:10] Why did you want to be the principal of

[0:12] Maple Grove Middle School?

[0:14] Um, there's a lot of reasons why I

[0:16] wanted to be the principal um here at

[0:18] Maple Grove Middle School. I uh number

[0:20] one, I used to be a student in the

[0:22] district. I did not go to Maple Grove

[0:24] Middle, but um being being able to come

[0:27] back to the Ocio area schools was

[0:29] something that I was really interested

[0:30] in and so um that was a big piece of it.

[0:33] I also have heard nothing but great

[0:36] things about Maple Grove Middle School

[0:38] and being able to be a part of that

[0:40] success. Being able to lead um this

[0:43] building is something that I really look

[0:45] forward to. And um I also um I have two

[0:50] kids myself and they're also in the

[0:51] district and being able to be a

[0:53] principal in the same school district as

[0:55] my my own two kids is something that um

[0:58] I I've always wanted to do and I I think

[1:01] it it makes them proud and that's that's

[1:03] something that means a lot to me.

[1:06] Have you been a principal before?

[1:08] Yes, I have been a principal before.

[1:10] I've been in school administration for

[1:13] the past I think this will be my eighth

[1:15] year. Um this year between being an

[1:18] assistant principal and a principal I've

[1:20] been in Mountains View public schools

[1:22] and then also Wisetta public schools. Um

[1:25] so this will be my um fifth year as

[1:29] principal of a school.

[1:32] What do you like best about working at a

[1:34] school?

[1:35] Um I like being around all you guys. I

[1:38] like being around the kids. um you give

[1:40] me a lot of energy. It's a lot of fun

[1:42] being able to work with kids and um

[1:46] seeing how you come in as sixth graders

[1:48] and how you exit at eighth graders. It's

[1:50] a big difference. Um and it's something

[1:52] that you really there's no other place

[1:55] where you you get to do that. I also

[1:57] think it's really cool that even just

[1:59] the three of you one day the three of

[2:01] you are going to be doing something

[2:02] great in life and we get we get a chance

[2:05] to be a part of that when you get to

[2:07] work in schools. And so that's something

[2:08] that is really cool. Middle school is

[2:11] interesting because um it's right in the

[2:13] middle and we don't necessarily get to

[2:17] see what happens when you go to high

[2:18] school or go to college or beyond or

[2:20] whatever you end up doing, but we get to

[2:22] be able to be a part of that those three

[2:24] years. And um it those three years go by

[2:27] fast, but it's really fun to do that.

[2:29] What do you like to do when you're not

[2:30] at work?

[2:31] I like to do a lot of stuff. I like to

[2:33] spend time with my family. Um my wife

[2:35] Courtney and our two kids Leo and Rain

[2:38] um like to do that and and we go

[2:41] outside, we go to parks, we go to pools,

[2:44] we are always doing something active

[2:46] with like sports. Um personally I like

[2:49] to work out a lot and bike, lift

[2:51] weights, run, all that kind of stuff. Um

[2:54] and you know like to try to find new

[2:56] things too. We are very much um

[2:58] adventurers. I like to chat travel and

[3:01] do that kind of stuff. But um really I'm

[3:03] very family centered and um spend a lot

[3:05] of time with my family.

[3:07] What's a fun fact about you?

[3:10] Fun fact? Um I think a fun fact is I

[3:15] have a sister that's 10 years younger

[3:16] than me and she's also a former OIO um

[3:20] area school student. Um and we have the

[3:23] same birthday. So we're 10 years to the

[3:26] day. She was born on my birthday and

[3:28] when I turned 10 years old. And so, um,

[3:30] that's that's a fun fact. Um, I think

[3:32] another fun fact is, um, we are

[3:36] expecting our third child, um, in

[3:38] September. So, it'll be a baby that'll

[3:40] be showing up here in the fall. Um, so

[3:42] that's that's also something that we're

[3:44] looking forward to.

[3:47] What's your favorite school lunch?

[3:49] What's my favorite school lunch? Um, I

[3:52] would have to go with Italian dunkers.

[3:54] Um, those are, you know, you can't beat

[3:56] it. cheese and bread and a little bit of

[3:59] sauce. So good. Um so I I would go with

[4:01] Italian duckers for sure.

[4:03] Um anything else you would like to share

[4:06] with us?

[4:07] Um I'm just excited to be your

[4:08] principal. I'm excited to to be here and

[4:11] be um the leader of the building and um

[4:14] to help all of you find success to

[4:16] support you um to help all of our staff

[4:19] support you and and uh you know your

[4:22] future. But really excited to be here

[4:24] and thankful for the the chance to sit

[4:27] down with the three of you today.

[4:30] [Music]