Former Principal Diaz: Where Is He Now?

As the new school year starts, Mayfair is introduced with a new principal. That leaves the question, what is Mr. Diaz doing now? Our former principal has gotten a new position as student support and guidance director. You might have questions about what Mr. Diaz has really been up to, so I chose to interview him about his promotion. 

Q: How has the transition from principal to director of student support and guidance been for you?

“It’s pretty interesting. It’s been a challenge but also been very interesting, but I appreciate the challenge. I have enjoyed the transition so far though.”

Q: What are some significant differences from your previous position and your new one?

“Well a day like today, right, I don’t get to see students on a daily basis. I don’t get to be around 2,500 teenagers. I am now surrounded by more adults than I am kids, so that’s quite different.”

Q: What are some of your main goals for the student support services and guidance department?

“We are really focused a lot on attendance and attendance recovery right now. I think when you look at chronic absenteeism in the United States, it has increased since Covid and so this particular role, a lot of it is focused on engaging those students. There are other things that I am responsible for, but in terms of the start of the school year, we are really looking at a lot of absenteeism and how we can engage our community and students into the school again.”

Q: How would you describe the district as of right now and what are your plans for the future?

“I think the district right now is in a great place. We have a brand new superintendent who came in over the summer and she’s provided a great structure and leadership for us. I think just in terms of what my goals are is to support her and to support my superiors and the things that they are having to do. I think the district is in a great spot with its current leadership and Dr. Simon has been fantastic and very supportive of not only me, but everybody else who is new up here and I feel grateful for them."

Q: How are you dealing with the pressure of being in a higher position?

“I think on a day to day basis, we look at being a principal of 2,500 students and the responsibilities that come with that, with managing staff, staff expectations and student and staff safety. I think it is a different level of stress. I think it's just part of the job, but there are different stressors at a school site. Again, 2,500 students on a daily basis creates that energy.”

Q: What are some challenges you have experienced, if any?

“I haven’t really had too many challenges, I just think it's just finding the time to get to the various school sites to support them. For me, I have more time than the site level principals, so squeezing into their calendars and to help support them has been a challenge, but it's not really something that we can't overcome.”

Q: What do you miss about being principal of Mayfair High School and what made it special?

“I miss the students and the staff. I truly felt supported and cared for by the staff and students. So I miss those relationships that were built over the four years that I was there. I also miss the activities, there is always something going on. It doesn’t matter if it's athletics or arts, there's always something going on. Most of my days are spent with adults in the district office when most of my days used to be around school and children. Mayfair has a great energy, a great reputation, a great history behind it, so I miss those things. But I will say, Dr. Morgan, the new principal there, I spent a lot of time with her over the summer and I am excited that she is the new principal there. I think she is going to do amazing and I am just excited I could play a part of it.”

Thank you Mr. Diaz for allowing the time for me to interview him about his new position and for updating the school about what he has been up to during this new school year. This leads me to feel positive about the future of Mayfair and the Bellflower School District's future. Many, including myself, feel joy for Mr. Diaz’s new promotion. We hope he accomplishes many things with his promotion. Stay tuned for more updates on The Windjammer!

Image Courtesy of Mr. Diaz.