Cal High has welcomed this year three new assistant principals who bring a wide variety of experience from their unique and diverse backgrounds.
Kristine Sexton, Oriana Yanes and Tiffany Zammit join Cal’s administrative team with a strong commitment to the school’s mission and believe they will be valuable assets on campus.
Principal Demetrius Ball and assistant principal Rhonda Taft are the only returners from last year’s administrative team.
Yanes, a graduate of Monte Vista High School and a product of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, is deeply rooted in the local community.
Her passion for education was honed through years as a former Spanish teacher and leadership instructor at Diablo Vista Middle School in Danville. Her experience with leadership will help her as she oversees the ASB program, as well as the Class of 2027.
Yanes stresses the importance of leadership on school culture.
“I think school culture is really important and so leadership leads away a lot with that,” Yanes said.
ASB president Ronak Adhikari, who has worked with Yanes since she was hired this summer, consistently praises their positive working relationship.
“I’ve had a great experience with her and love discussing new ideas together,” Adhikari said.
Sexton came to Cal from outside the district. Part of her responsibilities include supporting juniors in the upcoming steps in their lives. Building up culture is her goal, especially now that students are more used to being back on campus and seeing each other after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sexton wants to support the students and staff in the best way she can.
Sexton said she wants Cal’s campus to be supportive, allowing students to “make things happen” and “achieve their ideas”.
“I have a good impression of Cal High as the student and staff are friendly and genuine,” Sexton said.
For her, one of Cal’s strengths is making a large school of nearly 3,000 students feel small because of inclusivity and the time people take to care and get to know each other. She thinks Cal is similar to a community and said she believes any human institute has ways to get better.
Zammit oversees the departments of math and P.E., as well as school technology. In addition, her involvement with the Grizzly Ambassador program and Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program demonstrates her commitment to enriching Cal’s school community.
Zammit is enthusiastic about Cal’s size and the eagerness of its students to learn. She is a strong advocate for student involvement in policy decisions.
With her background as a former high school math teacher and a director at a community college, Zammit is equally passionate about supporting students through their high school journey and beyond.
All three assistant principals serve as points of contact for the various departments they manage. They love engaging with students, often stepping outside their offices to connect with them during lunch.
Loving Cal’s campus and the vibrant community, Sexton, Yanes, and Zammit said they want to work together with the rest of the staff to make the school the best it can be.
