Two new administrators have been added to the roster this semester to help deal with Mr. Baker’s departure. The new title of Dean of Discipline has been awarded to Government teacher, Mr. Nevarez, and geometry teacher, Ms. Velasquez. The two are now balancing their time in the classroom with their time in the bungalows.

Q1: How does it feel to be the most feared administrators on campus?

A1: Nevarez: Well, I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. “Substantially feared” I can live with. It’s a difficult job to do, but someone’s got to do it.

A1: Velasquez: I don’t know that I’ve reached that status yet. I certainly hope that my interactions with the students would call for a more authoritative status and mutual respect.

Q2: Do you find it difficult to manage your time between the classroom and the bungalows?

A2: Nevarez: It was kind of hard up until the AP tests were going on. I might be dealing with a situation that required two hours of work and I would have to cut it short to go teach my AP Government class. The flow of the job was being interrupted.

A2: Velasquez: Not necessarily because at this point, I’m not in the classroom anymore. At first, the transition was difficult though.

Q3: Are there any special perks to the position?

A3: Nevarez: If having to eat your lunch standing up is one, then yes.

A3: Velasquez: It’s a whole different angle and that’s what I enjoy from it. I do get to interact with the office staff I never got to meet before which is great.

Q4: What do you enjoy the most about being in charge?

A4: Nevarez: You meet some interesting students. With certain situations, you dig deep and find out why a kid did something and you can try to help them out. It’s really rewarding when I am able to help them.

A4: Velasquez: Well, I can tell you I enjoy the interaction with the students. Even if they are sent to me with a referral or with a negative reason for why they made it to the office, I like being able to talk to them and help them. It’s very rewarding once I get the impression they have learned their lesson.

Q5: What do you hope to gain from this experience?

A5: Nevarez: Well, hopefully an opportunity for a position as an administrator. You know, a lot of this is handing out punishment to the kids, but being able to help them is a goal. I also enjoy working with the staff from the front office. It’s nice to see what people are doing on this end of the school.

A5: Velasquez: Because I’m so new to it, I’m not sure I have a lot of expectations, except to gain experience. Hopefully that experience will allow me to help students better themselves. I want to learn to make as much positive out of something negative.