The revolving door to fill Mr. Goosen’s position turns once more as Karl Blum takes over for William Neely. Blum is acting junior administrator Monday through Wednesday.
Blum grew up in Fullerton before moving to Santa Barbara for college.
“I [went to] UCSB, and I studied history,” Blum said.
His degree enabled him to teach history for 17 years.
“I taught [at AGHS] and Nipomo for 17 years,” Blum said. “I mostly taught government, AP Gov, US history, and AP US history. But, occasionally, I taught whatever [the school] wanted me to do.”
After teaching, Blum pursued administration.
“I retired last year from my principalship at Los Osos Middle School,” Blum said.
Blum’s experience as a staff member in both a middle school and a high school enabled him to form a preference.
“[Middle and high school are] both unique,” Blum said. “Middle schoolers [are] different day [after] day. There’s nothing that will be the same or you can plan on. In high school, there’s a little more consistency. I like working with high school kids, too, because [they] are on [their] launching pads, [while] in middle school, they can’t even figure out where the launch pad is.”
While at AGHS, Blum plans to help students who might have gotten off their “launching pad.”
“I’m just trying to connect with kids,” Blum said. “And hopefully persuade them to have better attendance, focus on [raising low] grades, and try to find solutions for them.”
Not only is Blum excited about his new position, but he finds irony in it.
“I love AGHS. This is where I started my career, so it’s kind of funny that I’m here filling in for the remainder of this year,” Blum said. “It’s been a blast so far.”
