Principal steps into new shoes at MCAA

This year, in the myriad of mysterious performances, plays, paintings and photos all slicing themselves a piece of the pie out of the hustle and bustle that is the Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, we have the added perplexity of a new principal. Tim Malone has taken the position from our partially retired founder John Pimentel.

I took it upon myself to help everyone get to know the fearless man who had the audacity to take the position of head honcho at MCAA. He was willing to accept an interview on remarkably short notice, which I viewed as a sign of considerable character for a new, without doubt overtaxed, principal.

A former assistant principal at Marysville High School, he first developed his dream of serving in school administration as a young man. Involved in a serious auto accident and suffering from temporary paralysis, he took it upon himself to find more meaning in his life, which to a man such as Mr. Malone, meant struggling to make a positive difference in the lives of others, particularly youth.

His desire to have such an impact on as many people as possible first lead him into teaching and ultimately, school administration. The step from assistant principal to principal was momentous in his path toward a greater difference.

Curious, I asked if he would consider acting in a play or performing elsewhere, as mathematics instructor George Land famously did last year in the production "Starflight." He may have been nervous but relayed to me an interest in perhaps performing if other faculty were involved.

I asked him what he would do, and he told me he was a bit hesitant of picking up the viola again, which he apparently played as a child, yet left the actual answer to my imagination.

Mr. Malone next spoke to me about his concerns and expectations for our school and his own workload. He is excited to see our school expand to 400 students and obtain new teachers in both academics and arts as well as new classes. He also expressed his interest in the possibility of a new campus.

As far as the challenges he will face in his future as principal, he informed me of the current struggles with a small administration. For example, he can't just assign student discipline to the assistant principle, because there is no assistant principal. Thus he, along with the other administrators, have their hands full. He said his greatest challenge is: "Knowing, at the school campus, you are ultimately responsible for the decisions made."

Most of all, it seems Mr. Malone is excited to get to know the students and faculty. He met with most of the latter over the summer to learn about their vision for MCAA. He is now most excited to meet the students of MCAA and discover the spirit of the Dragons.

Mark Runyan is a senior at the Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts. His column appears about every sixth week in Education.