Re “Farris Is Here with a Little Help from His Friends”
[img]1221|left|Dylan Farris||no_popup[/img]Perhaps the most profound pronouncement young Dylan Farris has made since being named Principal of Culver City High School last week was that he and the campus have “been a good fit” throughout his 10-year career.
In his first job after UCLA, Mr. Farris was a classroom teacher for 6½ years, and most recently he was the Assistant Superintendent for Guidance and Counseling when he earned the ultimate promotion, a meteoric rise.
Nancy Goldberg, School Board candidate who logged 42 years on the campus, recently recalled the first time she saw him at work. She was thrilled that he was selected to replace Dr. Pam Magee, who moved on to a charter high school in Pacific
“I was advised to go into his classroom because he was doing some wonderful things with Global Studies, global issues,” Ms. Goldberg said. “Global Studies is so broad-based. It’s really hard to tether the kids down. They are ninth graders on top of it.
“When I went in, he had kids on either side of the room discussing and pillorying a certain point, saying ‘No, that wouldn’t work.’
“Dylan just stood back. That is very hard to accomplish with a ninth grader.
“If I remember correctly, it was an environmental issue they were talking about, whether businesses should be allowed to contend for the environment the same way people are.
“He was trying to force them into some kind of decision-making. And the kids loved it, just loved it.
“I have just watched him grow. When he said he was going to go into administration, I got kind of sad because I figured the kids weren’t going to get it.”
(Farris series — to be continued)
