Meet Mr. Staton: Our Julius West Principal by Keira T.

There are umpteen things that we don’t know about Mr. Staton, our thoughtful, kind, outgoing, and passionate principal. Did you know that his favorite color, hands down, is navy blue? Do you know what his favorite foods are? Have you ever actually been inside his office or asked him a question? In case you didn't know, he really enjoys being around students and interacting with us. You probably didn’t know that he coaches youth wrestling! Getting to interview and learn more about Mr. Staton was an exceptionally convivial experience for me, and one that I hope others will have the chance to undergo as well.

“He really wants everyone happy and will do anything for his teachers and students if asked,” says Mrs. Tarzy, the sixth grade team leader.

Like most of us, Mr. Staton hopes we can safely return to school as soon as possible, and he hopes to remain the Julius West Middle School principal for many more years to come. Mr. Staton believes that we have some more room for improvement and, as do I, he also believes that it would be a lot easier to accomplish these goals in person, rather than virtually.

“One thing is mental health awareness,” Mr. Staton reports. He feels that we can help kids who need it with exercise, skills development, social-emotional engagement, and anything else that can support students' personal growth and overall wellbeing. Even though this would be easier to accomplish in person, virtual learning has given us some additional opportunities that would not otherwise be available. For example, we have the advantages of screen sharing and the chat feature in Zoom, which helps with live communication. In addition, according to Mr. Staton, parent meetings are receiving a higher level of attendance and more people can join since it is easier to simply click on a link sent to you than it is to drive to Julius West.

Mr. Staton is a really funny and great person to be around. You can ask anyone, and they will 100% agree. Julius West is “simply the best,” and you would be hard-pressed to find a better principal.