New principal, Mr. Kevin Calkins, is making an effort to ease into the Cathedral Catholic High School community, getting to know students and faculty and utilize their input as he moves forward into his leadership position.

Students might recognize the new face walking around on campus, or perhaps they took note of the “God is good ALL THE TIME” prayer introduced on Wellness Day. Nonetheless, Mr. Calkins’ face will soon be familiar to every Don.

“I’m hoping to take the year to immerse myself in the culture of the school and to really understand it, in order to build a plan for the future in collaboration with everyone else,” Mr. Calkins said.

“There’s a real spirit and love for this school here which has just been wonderful for me to experience,” Mr. Calkins said with a faint accent. Trying to absorb all of what CCHS has to offer, he has kept busy throughout the first month of school building relationships with faculty, staff and students.

Mr. Calkins wants to hear teachers’ concerns and ideas for CCHS moving forward into this school year, focusing on learning about CCHS before he implements any changes himself.

“Change is always a hard thing, especially when there’s change in administration,” Mr. Calkins said as the sun reflected off his gingham button up shirt. “My sense is that there is a sense of optimism and hopefulness among all of the teachers, but also a sense of ‘Who is he? [or] What is he about? [or] What is he interested in?’ I think the common thread so far in my conversations with the teachers has been ‘How do we work together?’ ”

He seeks to find a balance between himself and the faculty – a point where the faculty members support one another and collaborate to feel empowered.

Heading into the second month of the school year, Mr. Calkins has succeeded to some degree in getting to know Cathedral’s faculty. “I think he’s professional, experienced, thoughtful, and I’d identify that he’s a collaborative educational leader,” said Ms. Margaret Mauro, Assistant Principal of Faculty and Student Services. “He’s committed to Catholic education, and working with him on a daily basis, I think he’s a motivator through his own example.”

While Cathedral is the largest school Mr. Calkins has worked at thus far in his career, and he sometimes feels like he’s “drinking from a fire hose trying to catch it all,” he feels content with his move to San Diego.

“My wife and son are really happy to be here, too. My wife is from California originally, so it’s great for her to be back home, as she keeps telling me,” Mr. Calkins said.

His son, Liam, started kindergarten last week at St. Michael’s and “is actually in the same class as Ms. Benson’s daughter, which is kind of fun to have that connection,” he said.

Going forward, Mr. Calkins understands that only time will help him assimilate into Cathedral. He does not want to do too much. Rather, he hopes to observe, learn, and build a relationship with the CCHS community.

“I could not have asked for a better start to my experience here at Cathedral,” he said. Mr. Calkins welcomes students to introduce themselves, as there is no better way to learn how to be a Don, than from the Dons.