The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

New Kid on the Block: Patrick Day, Willow Glen High School's new principal, said he's looking forward to a long stay at the Ed Park. "It's wonderful to be at a school where there's a definite neighborhood," he said.

Rams welcome new principal

By Cecily Barnes

Nervous freshman aren't the only ones who've spent the last few weeks getting used to school. Willow Glen High School's current principal, Patrick Day, is a new kid on campus, too.

"People have been wonderful, very, very kind," Day says. "I've been going to the games and parent meetings, getting to know people."

Patrick Day began at Willow Glen High School this year in place of the school's last principal, Mickey Long, who left the school after eight years to work at the district office in Educational Services.

Although Day is new to the high school, he's been with the San Jose Unified School District for the past 14 years. He started as Lincoln High School's band director.

Day's passion has always been music. After playing the trumpet in junior high school and high school, Day joined the U.S. Navy and went through the Navy's school of music.

"I was always good at music," Day says. "If it wasn't for my involvement with music, I believe my life would be much less fulfilling."

After his service in the Navy, Day got a bachelor's degree in music at Point Loma College in San Diego and a master's in music at Wright State University. After graduation, he moved with his wife and children to Ohio to teach band. Soon after, he was contacted by San Jose Unified, and he and the family jumped at the chance to come to California.

However, Day's demanding job began to interfere with his family.

"Being a band director is a tough job. It's 12 months out of the year," Day said. "I felt I had to make a choice between my family and being a band director, and that wasn't much of a choice."

After leaving his post as band director, Day worked as a resource teacher for the district's five magnet schools, and later as assistant principal at Lincoln and Pioneer high schools. For the past three years, he's been principal at Hoover. Now that he's at Willow Glen High, he plans to stay.

"It's wonderful to be at a school where there's a definite neighborhood," Day said. "The neighborhood knows about the school, they care about the school and they send their kids to the school."

Parents seem as happy with Day as he is with the school. Parent Club President Karla Fukashima says she and the other parents will miss Long, but feel the whole transition has been very positive.

"Mr. Day came in with a real positive attitude," Fukashima said. "He seems really interested in continuing Willow Glen traditions, but looking at it with new eyes. And he'll be willing to make changes because he's not invested in certain things."

For right now, however, Day isn't making any grand plans. He's simply adjusting to the school.

"I have to provide a vision and direction for the school, but right now I'm just trying to figure out what process to use to get a shared vision," Day says. "I've spent a lot of time looking at statistics to figure out where the school is and what we need to do."

Day has also been working directly with students, at least those students who make themselves known. When Day sees kids milling around after the bell has rung, he takes them into his office and pulls up their records. "Usually these are kids with poor attendance or [who are] off-track for graduation," Day said. "I give their parents a call and set up meetings."

Day says one of his goals is to help students that are having difficulty graduating get back on track. While the kids may not be thrilled about Day's proactive tactics, parents and administrators are delighted.

"We're excited about having him," district board member Carol Myers said. "Essentially, when we have people that are bright and moving forward, we need to promote them before losing them to another district."

Day says he still conducts when invited.

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