March 14, 2018
At the beginning of this semester, the school administration welcomed a new member, Dr. Brockett, who has replaced Mrs. Redfield as principal. He is enjoying his new job and is impressed by the school spirit he has observed so far.
Dr. Brockett started his career as an elementary and middle school Spanish teacher in Rancho Santa Fe. He then taught at Torrey Pines High School for nine years before becoming an assistant principal at Valley Middle School. Before he came to Carlsbad High School, he worked as the principal of Aviara Oaks Middle School for three and a half years.
“I enjoy what I’m doing so much that I never thought I’d really like to go back into teaching,” Brockett said. “I feel like in some ways I get to interact with a wider swath of students and more students in ways that I feel like can be impactful for kids that maybe need some additional support or somebody to talk to. I really enjoy that aspect of [administration]…I’ve never looked back. I really enjoy what I do.”
Brockett really enjoys working as a principal. He sees his work as being very fun, interesting and different from his previous career as a teacher.
“There’s never a dull moment,” Brockett said. “Something new comes up everyday. I never get bored because there’s always something to do. Even when it’s slow up in the office I still enjoy being able to get out to different classrooms and see all the cool things that are going on. It’s a lot of fun and you don’t get to do that as a teacher.”
Brockett likes to take a very hands-on approach to administration. He likes to be visible and engage with the students and his colleagues.
“I like to be out and about,” Brockett said. “Visibility in general, is positive I think. I value relationships. I like to get to know students and I like to get to know teachers. I like to know what’s happening in classrooms and out on campus because that’s really the heartbeat of what happens at the school.”
I value relationships. I like to get to know students and I like to get to know teachers. I like to know what’s happening in classrooms and out on campus because that’s really the heartbeat of what happens at the school. — Dr. Brockett
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He also believes it is important for the school to have a set vision and values. In his mind, part of his role as principal is to understand these values and help put them into practice.
“I think an important role of the principal is to take all of those things [that happen on campus] and really try to crystalize them into one coherent vision of what we want to do and who we are,” Brockett said. “You can do all kinds of great things but I think we’ve always got to ground ourselves in what we’re all about as a school community, what we value, and that helps tie in all those great activities and classes to that vision. That is something I’m drawn to doing. I think that will be beneficial for the whole school community to better understand who we are and what we’re all about, and then we can build off of that and continue to do a lot of these great things here.”
His aim to understand the school and help it reach its full potential has not gone unnoticed by his colleagues. Mrs. Redfield, former interim principal and current assistant principal, believes that Brockett is doing a great job so far at getting to know the school community.
“I think that he has come in and done an exceptional job getting to know our culture and community here at Carlsbad High School and getting to know students and staff,” Redfield said. “He’s willing to listen and try new things. He is not being judgmental or opinionated about what we already have established here.”
Brockett was very impressed with CHS and all of its programs and activities when he first started his job. He had heard about the all school spirit and involvement at CHS and was excited to see it firsthand.
“The impression I had from afar about the great school community here is that there are great students, great teachers and great programs,” Brockett said. “[Also] lot of school spirit and enthusiasm. I see it already… There are so many things going on on campus. Yesterday I walked into the old gym and there was juggling club going on in there. Today I saw some students walking on the field and they were playing Cricket in the Indian culture club. There’s just so many things that go on at a big, comprehensive high school like this that you don’t get being at a middle school, for example. It’s just really cool to see.”
Since Brockett started his job in the middle of the year, he does not plan on making any big changes yet. He wants to get up to speed with what is currently happening and also get a better understanding of the school.
“I feel, especially coming in in the middle of the year, I have a responsibility to get in the flow of what everyone else is doing,” Brockett said. “[The students and staff] have really been in the flow all year and so I feel this obligation to get up to speed with everyone else and use the time here to take in the big picture of what we’re doing, what our goals are, where we want to go, what our strengths are, and the things we can build upon. Then [I will] come into the start of next year with a clearer picture and a frame around what our areas of focus are.”
As the new principal, Brockett ultimately wants to help the staff and students continue to do what they do well and build off of their existing strengths.
“I really believe in allowing great passionate people to do great work so from that standpoint I always look at my role as what I can do to support great things happening and what I can do to help focus in on the key aspects of what we want to be doing,” Brockett said.
