By Stevi Valenzuela
With age, people grow out of things, whether it be clothes, shoes, the way one acts, or certain personality traits. The growth of Minarets principal Dr. Daniel Ching is far beyond any of that, as his 14 years as a beloved Mustang has come to an end.
Dr. Ching has served Minarets in multiple ways since he first arrived as a history teacher. From upholding Minarets 6 C’s, coming up with legendary catchphrases, holding the Best of the Best Awards, and lip-dub, Dr. Ching has legitimized the vision everyone had for Minarets when it first opened. Now, it's time for him to pass over the baton.
Dr. Ching has worked with many teachers since he started at Minarets and since he's become principal, he likes to sit and watch classes in awe of how much time and dedication they put into their work and classrooms.
The first thing Ching wanted to say to the teachers is, “Thank you, I feel really lucky to be able to be a leader here with the kind of teachers we've had.”
Dr. Ching wishes to tell his students that he wants the environment to stay the same saying, “I don't think the mission and the stuff that this school is all about will completely change because one person or multiple people leave.”
He believes that this year’s and next year's seniors are the most important ones for the future of Minarets, they have to teach the younger students about the true meaning of Minarets and everything that the school stands for.
With next year being our first year back COVID restriction-free, Dr. Ching hopes for the things that scream Minarets to come back even stronger. This includes more involved SLEs, rallies in the gym, lip-dubs, clubs, practices, and more. He still plans on coming to all the events and supporting all of Minarets as well as keeping connections with students and staff.
The school that gets our beloved principal, Spring Valley Elementary, has some big things coming its way. He wants to support and promote the teachers a lot and bring in funds to do more. Ching carries a Go Big, Go Pro, Go Now attitude and he wants to take it over to Spring Valley in a similar sense.
“I just wanna make it the best elementary school in the whole wide world,” Ching said.
Although we're losing a beloved staff member and principal, we are very excited to see him and Spring Valley grow through the new position he will hold.