By Christine Garcia
If showing up and leading with compassion were a sport, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Principal Paul Lopez would be the star player. At every event he attends, Lopez supports athletes and students by standing on the sidelines or participating in school-wide events such as Fall Fest or FVHS ASB’s pickleball tournament.
He has been cheering students from the sidelines for years and now it’s his turn to get the spotlight. On Sept. 22, Lopez was recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section as Champion of Character for “pursuing victory with honor.”
The CIF Southern Section rewards people in education and athletics who lead with honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. This includes students, coaches, athletics trainers and administrators from over 565 schools across Southern California. This year, Lopez was one of the few that was chosen.
But, when he found out that he was nominated by FVHS Athletic Director Roger Holmes over the summer, he didn’t make a big deal out of it.
“When I got the letter in the summer, I thought, ‘Oh, this is pretty cool,’” Lopez said. “And I saw who had nominated me, and I thought, ‘oh, that’s great of Mr. Holmes to nominate me for the award.’ So, [I was] a little bit shocked, because I wasn’t expecting it.”
Holmes, who received the same award in 2023, didn’t hesitate to nominate Lopez. Holmes is a firsthand witness to how Lopez models the CIF Pillars of Character.
“[Lopez] been involved with high school stuff for 30 years plus, and one of the big things for that award is what [CIF] calls their six pillars of sportsmanship … trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship,” Holmes said. “So you take that all into consideration when you nominate someone like that, and [Lopez] hits all those boxes for us.”
Tom Simmons, a member of the CIF Southern Section Board also supported Lopez’s nomination, highlighting Lopez’s commitment to students’ academic, social and emotional growth.
“Although I do not speak for the committee, I do serve on it, and I can only say that I thought Paul a deserving selection because has been a caring and dedicated educator for over 30 years … He has genuine care for others and leads by the mantra ‘what’s best for kids.’ … Paul Lopez consistently exhibits the highest standards of ethical behavior, acting with integrity in every decision he makes … For all these reasons and more, I believe that Paul Lopez is more than deserving of the CIF-SS Champion for Character Award.” Simmons said.
Lopez has been a principal for 15 years, and he has a background in coaching and athletics. Since coming to FVHS in 2021 , he has worked to build a strong school culture in sports and academics. His approach to leadership focuses on support and service.
“For the most part, we’re here to serve … [the] students, and support the staff,” Lopez said. “Our job is to take the obstacles out of the way so [students can]have the best experience that [they could] here at Fountain Valley, and that our staff is able to do their jobs on a regular basis without any challenges.”
Lopez has been deeply involved in both academics and athletics. When transitioning from California State Standards to Common Core State Standards, he worked to help develop lessons, benchmarks and common performative assessments. He described this as a lot of work with curriculum and instructions.
In the athletic department, he applied the same approach when he worked closely with the Athletic Director to hire coaches who treat students well and develop them both as athletes and people. He noted that the coaching staff has turned over 60%, reflecting his ongoing efforts to strengthen and refine FVHS’ athletic program.
For Lopez, this award is not just a personal achievement but a reflection of the collaborative culture at FVHS. He consistently credits his staff, students and the border community for helping make the FVHS a place where character and integrity matter more than recognition.
Having spent 30 years as a teacher, football coach, athletic director and now principal, Lopez has worked tirelessly to ensure that students are supported not just academically but also as individuals. He describes the recognition as deeply meaningful because it acknowledges the quiet, everyday work of doing the right thing.
“Being a champion of character is … [when] we do things right, and Fountain Valley has always done things right,” Lopez said. “We’re not going to cheat [and] we’re not going not going to do anything to compromise who we are as a school, because we’re a great school.”
