Mr. Ray Gonzales was promoted from his position as an eighth-grade social studies teacher to the new assistant principal at MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School.  After Assistant Principal Dr. Emil Ahangarzadeh took a full-time position at Villa, the school needed a new assistant principal.  Gonzales applied and was officially instated October 16.  

Gonzales said, “I had to do two interviews.  There were five people on the panel, one with teachers, one with staff, and one with administration and district level administration.”

Gonzales said that for now, he isn’t planning on making any drastic changes.  “There is always room for improvement, but right now I’m just going to observe before I make decisions,”  said Gonzales. “I want to make sure MacArthur is a safe place for our students and that our students can be successful throughout high school, I want to be sure our students make it through college.”

Last year, Ahangarzadeh was split between MacArthur and Villa but received the opportunity to work at Villa full time.  Similarly, Gonzales will split his time between MacArthur and Esqueda K-8.  Currently, MacArthur only receives 1.5 assistant principals because the school’s enrollment does not surpass 1300 students.

Gonzales steps in while the school is in transition, having lost Principal Mr. David Casper to Segerstrom High School.  “He will be missed, he was a great principal. I’m really excited for Ms. Berger,” said Mr. Gonzales, referring to Casper’s replacement, Ms. Katie Mitchell-Berger.

Assistant Principal Ms. Bertha Benavides said, “It saddens me that Mr.Casper left the school.  He was excited to see the kids, he would give them high fives and he had a great relationship with the staff and students.  I believe it was a good decision to hire Mr. Gonzales because he already knows the school.”

According to Gonzales, there are four main parts to being assistant principal at MacArthur: helping out students, reassuring parents, supporting teachers and staff, and making a good supportive community.

Gonzales said, “I want students to know that I like El Pollo Loco, I’m not as mean as look, and even though the Dodgers lost, I’m still a fan.”