Brian Lynch has taken over the job of Assistant Principal at Tam High, after the departure of Chad Stuart.
Lynch began his career in education as a Tam counselor seven years ago. “It was during the height of all of the modernization [of the school], so it was great to walk in and see how beautiful the campus is now,” Lynch said. Upon leaving Tam, he worked as a counselor at Drake High School and later served as a district summer school principal. This is Lynch’s first official job as an Assistant Principal.
According to Lynch, his first few weeks at Tam have been nothing but positive. “Right from the start, students and staff have been very welcoming, and everybody’s made a point to say hello to me… It’s been great,” he said.
“What I heard about Tam was that there are a really solid group of teachers and a great diverse group of students who want to learn.”
The sophomores and seniors will be affected by Lynch’s arrival most, as he supervise those grades. “I think everybody really misses Mr. Stuart, but at the same time we’re excited to have Mr. Lynch,” sophomore Kira Herzog said.
The school is constantly evolving, from the new waves of students, to the farewells to former staff. “Any change has its good and bad points,” counselor Sarah Gordon said. Although many students have fretted over rumors harsher enforcements on dress codes and detentions, Lynch said that the changes he would want to make “are aligned with what the district is doing right now, which is creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum for all students and creating measurements to keep track of how successful that curriculum is.”
“I think that when students understand the purposes that are behind [school standards, such as dress codes], I think it comes down to human nature to abide by them. It’s both my job and the teachers’ jobs to help them understand,” Lynch said.
“My least favorite part of the job is discipline. As a counselor, I am normally just giving advice, but now I’m having to hold kids accountable. I’m learning that disciplining is counseling with consequences.”
Gordon has high hopes for the new AP. Having worked with Lynch when he was a counselor, Gordon remembers his friendly and warm nature. “He has the skill to be able to connect and develop relationships in a very positive way. He is already taking charge in a good leadership role,” she said.
Lynch said that his philosophy is no different than Stuart’s, and that he works purely “for the benefit of the students’ learning.” “He’s always had the sense of ‘how can we make this better?’” Gordon said. “I – and I’m sure the rest of the school – very much look forward to his direction.”
Lynch said his favorite part of the job is “when I can get out of my office and into the classrooms, out on the campus, seeing the students in action whether it’s football games or other events.”
In his spare time, Lynch likes to cook, read and hike. “Hiking in Marin is pretty remarkable. I didn’t realize how great it was until I left for college,” he said.
Lynch’s overarching goal at Tam is for “every student who leaves Tam, every student who leaves our district schools, to have the skills necessary for college and their career, as I’m not sure that we’re doing that for all students right now as a district.” He added that “education is something I strongly believe in. I’ve always wanted to impact as many students as possible and make sure that I’m improving what’s going on in our world by educating as many students as I can.”