Sarah Henderson

TRUST New Principal Phil Winston hopes to have a good relationship with students and a strong presence on campus.

We arrive at Gunn High School, awkwardly realizing we are wearing Palo Alto High School athletic gear from head to toe. As we wander through the campus, in search of our elusive new principal, a voice calls our names. We turn around to see our future principal, Phil Winston, who relieves us from our misery and leads us to his office. Behind his desk, adorable pictures of his children and their artwork cover the walls. We stare in surprise as the popular song “Bossy” begins to play from his computer.

The incoming Paly principal, Winston has generated a wealth of articles from students and adults alike trying to pinpoint his policies and his approach to administration. The friendly, 33-year-old Winston says he believes strongly in trust, strong relationships and good communication between students, teachers and administrators. According to Winston, his current focus is not on the past, but instead on building a safe and closely knit Paly of the future.

As we sat down for the interview, Winston began to talk about his own high school situation. He believes his experiences in high school taught him how to accept others, and gave him the skills necessary to work with students. As the assistant principal in charge of discipline at Gunn, Winston works with other students, parents and staff in difficult situations of investigation and, occasionally, punishment. Whenever a problem arises among students on campus, Winston is the first to be alerted.

“For me, the toughest decisions are ones where you have to do what’s right even if the students, the families or the staff are not happy,” Winston says. “So you really have to be consistent, and do what’s right or what’s best in the long run.”

While Winston predicts that his honest approach to dealing with students will carry over to his methods as Paly’s principal, he understands that there are some aspects of Paly that he will have to adapt to in order to communicate effectively with students. Most importantly, Wilson says, he must learn the culture of Paly’s student body.

“I know I’m walking into a lot of tradition and a lot of passion, and I appreciate that,” Winston says. “I understand that there are people that have questions about Egg Wars and stuff, but that’s really none of my business. That’s in the past; we’re moving forward. Just because it’s a tradition doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”

The current administration’s new procedures have generated friction between Paly students and the administration, such as those involving the Egg Wars suspensions, streaking, hazing, and breathalyzers. This year, students have frequently used their voices to protest and complain. Through sit-ins, petitions, and Facebook groups, Paly students are quick to react when administrators impose policies that conflict with their interests. Winston was quick to stress his understanding of student concerns, and his willingness to communicate.

“If you all need to [do a] sit-in we should’ve had a conversation before that,” Winston says. “If students have a problem or a question, the goal should be to have a system in place so that students are able to express their views and feelings. If you have a concern you should be able to be heard. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get what you want, but you will be heard."

Winston says that trust is essential to a good relationship between students and their administrators.

“I put a lot of trust into the students that I interact with and in return I expect a lot,” Winston says.

Growing up, Winston did not always have a desire to participate in school administration. However, as the opportunity presented itself, first at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, then at Gunn and now at Paly, Winston discovered his passion for administration and came to realize his personality is well suited for the job.

“In high school I didn’t know I’d want to be a principal,” Winston says. “Life has an unbelievable way of weaving and guiding our experiences. It has been a wonderful experience.”

As Winston left us with these final words, we exited his office feeling inspired and excited for the coming year. However, as we listened to our tape, we were disappointed to realize that we had learned little about his policies and his opinions of current procedures. Maybe, however, part of the reason he didn’t share these plans lies in the fact that he does not have the authority to make sweeping changes. In fact, principals are not as powerful as students believe.

According to Assistant Superintendent Ginni Davis, although principals have enormous responsibility, they do not use their authority to single-handedly instigate procedures. Instead, principals propose procedures to supplement school board policies, as well as policies created by the government of California. To establish a procedure, a principal must prove a strong need in the school for such a measure.

“The principals have to have some way to make sure they’re running the school safely,” Davis says. “But sometimes students don’t know how much of a process [in administrative decisions] there has been.”

Throughout the interview, Winston emphasized his passion for working with teachers, co-workers and the student body. Because assistant principal is such an all-encompassing job, Winston says he cannot state one aspect he enjoys above others.

“It isn’t really one thing,” Winston says. “It’s the excitement of being responsible and working collaboratively with a group of people to further the good work in place, and to work on making the high school experience the best it can possibly be for each and every student”

As he prepares to leave Gunn, he hopes to be remembered for his attitude instead of specific actions.

“I would like to be remembered as somebody that did a good job with everything he had, and took care of students and staff and fellow colleagues,” Winston says. “I’m not big into legacy. You need to do the best you can with what you have at that moment. Stay in the present, but forecast and plan for the future.”

There we had it: therapist, friend, administrator and communications expert. In reality, it didn’t matter if we liked him or not. We understood that he was only a man, in a larger equation. And while he may not have given us all the answers we sought, his enthusiasm was contagious and he had an undeniable good taste in music.