As we plunge into the new school year, the Cougar daily stopped into the Coronado principal’s office to talk to Mr. Smith and find out how he feels about the new year. Last year, Mr. Smith “Saw a positive culture and climate here at Coronado” which was a step in the right direction for the school, especially when coupled with the quantitative data. For Mr. Smith, that data “is a focus on SAT and PSAT scores, which do not define Coronado but are one piece” which show in his eyes proof “that our students achieved… above the state and district average.” More socially, last year he enjoyed tagging along for spring break with the Band and Orchestra to be better connected with that group of students, and watching student athletes compete at the State Track Meet, but there “wasn’t just one event, I just love Coronado, there’s something every day that puts a smile on your face.”

For all the good last year, “one of the things [he] thinks we can do better is to come together as a student body, not that we don’t support each other, but we’re all busy people.” Which is why he and the administration is excited for the new “Cougar Advisory Team.” For Mr. Smith and the rest of the administration, “the whole goal is to get connected” and if successful “will give us a more positive vibe.” In the same vein, he thinks we can do more to “improve on soft skills, like communication and work ethic, which will be integrated into our classrooms a little better this year”

Though full of excitement, he was not without concerns, namely the public perception of Coronado, he thinks ”we get a bad rap,” and wants people to know how great of a school we are. To attack this, the administration plans “to over-communicate about the good things going on here” and work to make sure that people “know about us through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the Newspaper, and word of mouth.”

For the 2017-2018 school year Mr. Smith thinks “we have a positive climate, but we can get better. We will be constantly refining our teachers and improving.” In the end, there many things to get excited about for this year, and in the eyes of our principal, “Ultimately, we compete and we are winning.”