MJUSD welcomes new principals
Oct. 2—Marysville Joint Unified School District introduced several new principals to some of its school sites for the 2023/24 school year. Whether these principals are long-standing staff members who have been promoted or brand new to the school district, each principal is excited to promote education for another school year.
Merrill Grant
Dr. Merrill Grant joined the Lindhurst High School team this year after previously serving as a teacher, principal and superintendent. This marks his 35th year in education.
Grant and his wife recently moved to the Yuba-Sutter area to be closer to family, and quickly applied for an opening at Lindhurst.
"I was intrigued by the opening at Lindhurst and to have a challenge where my experience could really make a difference for a school and community that deserves the best that education has to offer. I am here to provide that value-add," Grant said.
Over the past 23 years, Grant has served as a superintendent for five different school districts and principal for Shasta High School in Redding
Since starting at Lindhurst, Grant has gotten to know school staff and familiarize himself with existing systems. He has had the opportunity to visit each classroom once a week for four weeks straight and believes it's rewarding to see teacher/student dynamics in real time.
"I hope to provide a calm, steady leadership style at LHS where all staff feel supported to do their best and take pride in the effort they bring for 180 school days. We are given the opportunity to change our students' trajectory in life. Working towards that dynamic makes all the hard work enjoyable," Grant said.
Eric Preston
Eric Preston started his education journey as a student-teacher at Marysville High School and has stayed with the district for 28 years. After seeing his daughter thrive at Marysville Charter Academy of the Arts (MCAA), Preston knew he wanted to join their administrative team. This year, he was finally given the opportunity.
Having previously served as principal for Arboga Elementary School and Kynoch Elementary School, Preston looks forward to joining MCAA in its goal of promoting academic and artistic excellence for its students.
"I'm excited to watch students play instruments, do graphic design, dance, act; All the things you don't see in a traditional classroom," Preston said.
Before MCAA moves into its production season in November, Preston has enjoyed getting to connect with the student body and hopes to remember the names of each student.
"I think that knowing each student's name gives them value. It lets them know that you know who they are as a person," he said.
After serving as an elementary school administrator for so long, Preston has found that high school administration carried many more "moving parts" such as keeping track of A-G courses and dual enrollment. However, he looks forward to maintaining MCAA's level of excellence that drew him to the school initially.
"I hope to remove any and all obstacles for our staff, students and families," Preston said.
Patrick O'Brien
After teaching at Vacaville Unified School District for 22 years, Patrick O'Brien joined the Linda Elementary School administrative team this year.
Having worked outside of the area that he lived in for much of his career, O'Brien looks forward to being an educator for the Linda community as a resident and getting to know parents, students and staff.
"My assistant principal and I have really focused on building relationships and establishing that kind of trust with students and staff and families. We want to make sure our doors are always open and we're approachable. We want to make coming to Linda something to look forward to," O'Brien said.
As principal, O'Brien is glad to see this open door policy reflected in Linda Elementary's parent teacher club, which helps parents become more involved and ensures that they feel comfortable at their children's school.
Within his first year, O'Brien hopes to maintain stability for staff members and instructional improvements at Linda Elementary. He is thankful for the amount of support he has received from school faculty and district staff members.
"The support of my staff so far (has been rewarding) and the district support. They're really positive about knowing that if I have questions, I can go to the district office, give them a call and they are here to support," O'Brien said.
