By Cayla Nguyen, Editor-in-Chief & Elise Tran, Designer-in-Chief
Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) welcomed Kelly Skon to the administration team as the new Assistant Principal of Activities and Athletics (APAA) this past July.
As APAA, Skon oversees the school’s activities and athletics and works alongside the school’s Teacher on Special Assignment and Athletics Director.
Coming into the school year, Skon does not plan on implementing any drastic changes to the school’s activities but instead hopes to provide more support to the students and staff and encourage student participation.
“[I want to] continue to build our school culture and get kids excited about being here on campus,” said Skon. “So, one of my goals would be to bring more school spirit and just build that school culture that high school is about studying and getting good grades, but it’s also about building friendships and creating memories through activities.”
Skon’s favorite part of working in activities has been interacting with the staff and students, whether it be participating in assembly practices to meeting new people in the office.
“There’s always something going on, and I love the action and all the people that come in and out of the office,” said Skon. “I feel like I get to meet a lot of people that way, and it’s always positive.”
Prior to joining FVHS, Skon worked as district office administrator at Saddleback Valley Unified School District for three years, overseeing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs in grades 7 to 12. She also taught math for four years each in Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo.
“In the classroom, it’s your world, and everything is in your control, and it’s just you and your students. But being in the admin world, there’s a lot of team work and team decision making so, it’s about getting input from a lot of people and taking that input towards making a final decision.”
Skon decided to apply for an administration position to be a part of running the school campus and work with students at the same time.
“The biggest part of why I took this position was to be back on a campus with students,” said Skon. “It’s not so much as to learn but as to be a part of that [student] energy… and be a part of that community.
Although Skon only joined FVHS this year, she brings an outside perspective that has allowed her to evaluate the improvements FVHS can make in activities and on the campus.
“She looks at efficiency. She looks at things that her department and activities can do better, or what we can do better to support our teachers, her students and our community,” said Principal Morgan Smith. “She brings a lot of great new ideas, and it’s a fresh take on things, so we’re excited about her approach.”
This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of the Baron Banner.
