Dear Northgate Community,
I want to wish all of you a safe and healthy holiday season. I consider it a grand gift that I have been given the opportunity to serve as Principal of Northgate High School. The students, staff, and community of Northgate High School are the finest I have ever associated with. Every day at this school, first-rate work that challenges and inspires occurs within our concrete walls. Let me give you an example of just one day, Wednesday, December 10th, 2008:
I left my office and went to our beautiful theatre provided in large part by our parents [Northgate Pride Community Foundation], in concert with the Mount Diablo Unified School District. In the theatre, a two-day Mock Congress was in full session. Senior students dressed in business attire and debated the issues challenging the United States Congress today. They wrote bills, drafted amendments, asked and answered questions, built alliances, forged compromises, and represented their ideological interests or sought to gain material rewards for their districts to enhance their own political standing. Students have spent months researching, reading and writing about American government and the issues facing our society; they then took this knowledge and put it into action. I have attended National and State Mock Congresses, but never a school-wide event on this scale. My hat goes off to our entire school that worked together to pull this off. Special appreciation goes to our Social Studies department under the direction of Jeff Spoden, and our United States Government teachers, Jon Burchett, Ben Campopiano, Kevin Davis, and Mike Greaney who made this happen!
When I left the theatre, I entered the main building to the cafeteria where I observed a large group of students huddled around our superstar Sports Medicine Director Glen Barker, who was showing students a procedure for tending to an injured knee. Mr. Barker teaches nearly 200 students daily the art and science of sports medicine. His class alone is a marvel, but Mr. Barker goes far beyond teaching sports medicine; he oversees a massive student trainer program, which provides medical support to all of our sports programs. You have probably observed these students at Northgate athletic events tending to minor injuries.
Moving on from Sports Medicine we walked to the World Language Department where Ms. Ballard (our phenomenal new Spanish teacher and girls soccer coach) directed students in a Spanish Language fashion show. Students had prepared clothes, music, and detailed descriptions in Spanish regarding fashion. Students were speaking and listening to Spanish in an authentic setting, and, they were enjoying themselves at the same time!
This is just a small window on what I observed in one day. Our students and staff are engaging in powerful teaching and learning at Northgate High School. We are moving forward in every department to improve teaching and learning with the goal to provide rich, rewarding experiences for all students at Northgate High. I appreciate all of your support, and look forward to working together to build on this foundation and make Northgate the school our students deserve!
Happy Holidays,
John McMorris
Principal - Northgate High School
Email: mcmorrisj@mdusd.k12.ca.us