If Nick Boden has anything to say about it, Live Oak High School
will be a haven for academic excellence and not sink into second
place behind the new Sobrato High. And Nick will have a lot to say
about it: he
’s Live Oak’s new principal.
If Nick Boden has anything to say about it, Live Oak High School will be a haven for academic excellence and not sink into second place behind the new Sobrato High. And Nick will have a lot to say about it: he’s Live Oak’s new principal.
“One thing that I want folks to know is that I don’t intend to be at the helm of a school that’s considered a ‘ghetto’ school,” he said Friday, in response to a prediction by some community members that Sobrato is opening for the “best and brightest” while Live Oak will deteriorate to a remedial school. “We will not play second fiddle. I will insure that no school gets left behind.”
Boden, who comes to Live Oak from Arlington High in southern California, said he can understand how the community sentiment began, with all the focus on the building of Sobrato and the controversy surrounding it and the remodeling of Live Oak. But he said he intends to show the community, through the accomplishments of the Live Oak students, that Live Oak is not second best.
“I don’t want any school to suffer, and I don’t intend to let Live Oak suffer,” he said. “I don’t want our kids to be short-changed.”
Boden’s background includes years of teaching, so he understands the challenges teachers face daily in the classroom. His focus, he said, is what’s going on inside Live Oak’s classrooms.
“I don’t believe in a canned program; 32 years of experience tells you there’s no magic bullet,” he said. “I think there are three critical factors that contribute to student success: the opportunity for staff to be able to talk to each other about what they expect students to learn; the opportunity for staff to figure out if our kids know what we expect them to; and once we know what we expect and once we find out if they’ve gotten it or not, what do we do for those who haven’t gotten it.”
When Boden came to Morgan Hill, he brought his wife, Cindy, with whom he will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in January. Their 24-year-old son, a geography major at SJSU, and 21-year-old daughter moved with them from southern California, while their 27-year-old daughter remains down south teaching English. Boden taught English himself, at four different high schools in the Huntington Beach area, and he was quick to say he felt this was an advantage.
“I was the third youngest English teacher in the district, which could be tough,” he said. “There were layoffs, and though you would be rehired before you were ever laid off, sometimes it was a day or so before school started, and you’re told, ‘here’s your new assignment.’
“But I believe things always happen for a reason, and that situation gave me the opportunity to work with a wide range of folks in four different, four very large English departments. I had a tremendous opportunity for growth just working with these people.”
Boden said now he is working with Live Oak’s staff.
“In my initial conversations with them, I have been very impressed,” he said. “They’re just outstanding folks. And we’re all on the same page. There are some incredible things going on in the classrooms here, from what I’ve heard, and we’re going to continue to focus on that.”
Besides his first-hand perspective on the challenges teachers face, Boden is not new either to administrative work. He has served as an administrator for eight years, starting off as assistant principal at Ramon High, then principal at Arlington High before coming to Live Oak.
“What keeps you coming back (to work every day) is still the classroom,” he said. “Even as an administrator. It’s seeing that interaction between student and teacher, knowing that students have an opportunity to expand their sense of awareness. It’s that connection you make with the kids.”
Students will soon become familiar with him, he said, because he plans to be a very visible principal.
“That’s why we’re here,” said Boden. “You can do more (as a principal) than in your own classroom … It lifts my spirits and reminds me that I’m not here for the meetings. I’m here for the kids.”
That will be especially important this year, he said, as Live Oak goes back to a 9-12 configuration.
“I think this is such a positive thing,” he said. “Yes, it’s going to be a challenge, but I think for us it will be like riding a bike, and we’ll settle in just fine. To help the students make a smooth transition, our ASB has been working hard to set up a buddy system. This is something we would do for incoming 10th graders anyway, but now we’ll do it for the ninth graders as well.”
The buddies won’t be just for the first few weeks of school, Boden said, but for the year.
“We don’t know what type of issues will surface as the year goes on, and we want to have this system in place to provide them with extra support,” he said. “Another part of it is developing school pride, and demonstrating how do you act, say, at a football game, how do you comport yourself, how do you reflect who we are at Live Oak. I think that’s an important piece.”
“One thing I really want folks to know is that I see my role as principal to insure that Live Oak provides the very, very best education possible for their child,” he said. “It is my commitment to do that, it is not anything I take lightly. The kids must come first.”
