First Day Of School For Redwood's New Principal

David Sondheim watched the Class of 2012 file into the gym Wednesday morning for the first day of classes at Redwood High School.

The Class of 2012 will be the first to graduate with Sondheim as Redwood's principal. Sondheim, a former assistant principal at Redwood, was officially approved by the Board of Trustees on May 10 to take over from Nancy Neu the reins as principal.

"I want to encourage the students to share their thoughts," Sondheim said "about how we can make Redwood the best place for them." 

Sondheim recalls growing up in the suburbs outside New York City, describing himself as just a "fair" high school student.

"I did fine but I don't think I saw my potential there. It's why I want to see high school students find things they love," Sondheim said. "If we show them enough different things, get them involved in enough different experiences, they can really get a feel for those things they love."

Sondheim, a tall figure with salt-and-pepper hair, is a familiar sight for students around campus. He might boast an imposing presence, but his M.C. Escher-themed tie reveals a disarming sense of humor.

"I first discovered I wanted to be an educator subtly in college. I liked tutoring other people. I was a science major. As we would help people as upperclassmen I liked the feeling that something I had done helped them," Sondheim said.

"I started teaching 25 years ago and loved it. To walk away at the end of the day and know that you helped young people to get them from Point A to Point B, to help them overcome obstacles, a struggle, is a good feeling.

"As you do it longer and longer, you want your impact to be bigger and bigger. … As principal I'll work with the whole community, hopefully, to work for what's best for our kids. Where are we meeting their needs? What do we need to meet their needs? Where are we not meeting their needs? And how do we find ways to get those needs met?" 

Sondheim sees it as his task to build on Redwood's strong reputation, but he'll find tough obstacles in the way as Gov. Jerry Brown asks schools across the state to tighten their belts.

"You look hard at what you spend your money on," Sondheim said. "You look at your priorities and you budget as close to your priorities as you can.The state budget affects all of us. It takes us more to task to spend wisely."