AGHS is making changes to its administration for next year; Area Administrator Joseph Williams will become the Director of Human Resources for the LMUSD district. 

“I am hoping to still be on campus as much as possible next year. My favorite part of this job was the interaction with lots of students,” Williams said.

Williams’s role as Area Administrator will now be served by Kian Pemberton, a sixth-grade teacher at Fairgrove Elementary. Several staff members at AGHS have worked with Pemberton through the district before, like Area Administrator Kristen Wooten. 

Wooten and others are excited for Pemberton’s opportunity to fill this position and provide a new perspective for the school. 

Williams addressed a concern some people may have that Pemberton is used to elementary schooling, and high school is much different.

“It’s very true that elementary is much different than high school, but if you get the right person, that adjustment is not difficult,” Williams said.

Interview with Pemberton:

Interviewer (I): What is your name?

Pemberton (P): Kian Pemberton

I: What classes have you taught?

P: I taught 8 years in sixth grade, most of those were teaching math and science, and a few were teaching all subjects.

I: What motivated you to become a teacher/administrator?

P: Teacher: I got my bachelors in math but decided not to pursue a job in that field. I tried a few different things but a family member suggested I visit a classroom to see if I wanted to be a teacher. The moment I stepped back into a classroom I knew it was where I wanted to be. I haven’t looked back since. I find that the energy of young people is infectious and keeps me young at heart. Plus working with students helps me learn to be a better person myself!

Admin: Initially, I did my masters in administration out of curiosity more than anything. I wanted to understand the decisions that a school has to make and why the system runs the way it does. Ultimately, doing that work showed me that administration was not only a role I could take on, it was one in which I believe I can make a difference and make positive change for a school and its students.

I: What is the best, most enjoyable aspect of your job?

P: There are many jobs where it’s “just work” and you get a paycheck and go home. For me, knowing that the work I do here is making a young person’s today or tomorrow brighter and better is something I will never stop appreciating. Another great joy is the amazing community that is built in a classroom or school, and getting to be a part [of it].

I: What are some of the greatest challenges you have as a teacher/admin?

P: I want to help everyone, and that isn’t always possible. People make their own choices and when someone chooses a path that isn’t the best for them it can be hard to not try and “make it right.” We all just do what we can for each other, though.

I: What do you like to do outside of school?

P: I like to go out for runs or ride my bike, because it always makes my day a little better, but, honestly, I’ve always been a bit of a nerd. If I can get away with it, I’d rather be at home reading a great sci-fi novel, playing D&D with friends, or obsessing over a really good puzzle.

I: Why were you interested in working for AGHS?

P: I mentioned earlier that one of the great draws for me in my career has been finding community. When I visited AGHS I immediately saw that it had the same kind of culture and comradery that has kept me at Fairgrove Elementary for 8 years now. That’s not something you find just anywhere, so I knew that AGHS is a place that I could be a real part of.

I: Describe your teaching style.

P: I try to create a space where students can safely practice taking responsibility for themselves and their own actions. I maintain safety and respect in the classroom, but let students learn how to manage those things on their own as well. Once that environment is in place, I find that both my students and I can have a lot more fun in the classroom and I don’t have to worry about being strict or uptight all the time because we are all working towards the same goals and trust each other to get there.

I: What are your personal goals for the next year, and what are your goals for the students?

P: Next year, my goal is to learn as much as I can. A high school is a very different organization than an elementary school, so I hope that by the end I have a better understanding of the needs of AGHS and what I can do to make it an even better place to learn and be.

I: What do you hope to achieve as a teacher/admin?

P: Fairgrove has a student slogan we use all the time, which is, “Be the best student you can be.” As a teacher, and now as an admin, that is what I hope I can help students do. I believe there is joy in every aspect of life, and I have always wanted to show others that “being the best you can be” is about finding that joy in what we are doing here every day.

I: What are your strengths?

P: I would say my strengths are in bringing a little positivity to everything I do, and, on a more practical level, staying organized and efficient in my work!

I: Where do you see yourself in five years?

P: I love where I live, I love what I do. I’m not the type that is always looking for the next big thing. So I hope in five years I am still a part of AGHS even if my specific role might change.

I: What is a key story from your personal life that helped to define who you are today?

P: Ever since I was little, I wanted a bonsai tree. I don’t know what started it, but it’s been in the back of my mind since forever. One year, my brother got me a beautiful little bonsai tree for my birthday. I loved it and it was the star of my patio garden. Then a heat wave hit right when life was getting crazy. It only took a few days of not paying attention to it and the little bonsai dried out and died. I keep that dried out little tree on a small table in my bedroom now. Every day I wake up and use it to remind myself that the things we love don’t always wait for us. Sometimes the things in our life need us right now, and we can’t wait to deal with them when life gets easier. I try to bring that attitude into everything I do.