The time is 6:45 on an early September morning. It isn’t late enough in the year to be cool yet, but there’s just enough whispering breeze to leave a chill in the air. He opens the doors to the open-aired lobby of Wenatchee High School and steps into his new room inside the main office. It’s adorned with simple decorations, since he has not been there long, but of what is in view are a few pictures of family, a Seattle Seahawks poster, and a set of letter blocks that spell out ‘Mr. Perkins’. Setting down his bag, he looks around the room, takes a deep breath, and then he leaves the office ready to meet and greet all the students of Wenatchee High School.

This is the start of an average day for new assistant principal Dave Perkins. Since the beginning of the school year, Perkins said that he has been greeted with curiosity, as many students don’t know who he is and he is not yet a familiar face around the halls. Those who have taken time to know him see him as a friendly and positive new administrator at the school.

“I’ve felt very welcomed in these first few days, from the students and the staff, who are all very friendly and want to me to feel at home in my new role,” Perkins said.

As a child, Perkins always enjoyed reading and learning. In fact, he loved history from such an early age that by the time he was 4 years old he was able to name all the U.S. presidents. How many people can do that these days?

Perkins started college at Washington State University as a pharmacy major. However, he decided near the end of freshman year that working with and helping young people was his true calling.

“I also had an interest in becoming a baseball coach, so that also helped me gravitate towards teaching as a profession,” Perkins said.

After this, Perkins ended up taking a total of four and a half years of school at WSU. He then moved to Arizona with his wife, Amber. Once in Arizona, he elected to continue his education, at Northern Arizona University where he took two and a half more years of academics. After completing his education he worked seven years as a middle school history teacher at Estrella Middle School in western Phoenix, which really isn’t that surprising considering his childhood fascination. He also has some experience as a dean of students at Tres Rios Elementary School in Avondale, a suburb of Phoenix.

With the second week coming to a close, Perkins looks back on his first few days of being an assistant principal at Wenatchee High School, and explains that he loves it here already, and has fond memories of trips to Wenatchee as a child. Although it is quite a bit different from Seattle and Arizona, two places he’s previously called home, “I really like the warm, sunny weather as it reminds me of Arizona. Better still is how it’s so peaceful and calm here,” Perkins said.

Calm is a feeling that Perkins relates well to, as when asked what his best quality is, he says it’s his calm demeanor, and that helps him make and maintain a tranquil and harmonious environment. “At one of the other schools I worked at as the dean of students, I would sometimes be asked to stand in as the principal when he was away on business. These days the front desk ladies would always confide to me that the whole school just ran a lot smoother.”

Even though Perkins has only been here for a couple weeks, the staff say that he’s already made a good impression on WHS. When asked about the new addition to the administrative team, Principal Bob Celebrezze said, “[Perkins] is a wonderful asset to the admin and faculty staff at WHS. He has a strong skillset to help students find success and happiness. From the beginning he jumped right in and has already had a strong impact.”

Perkins admits that one day he would like to be a principal, as he believes that is the best place to apply his skills and desire to inspire young minds, but for now he’s looking forward to working with all the WHS students where he plans to gain as much experience and knowledge as he can. He describes how he loves the school atmosphere, sharing knowledge with others, and being an encouraging force that drives young minds to fulfill their potential. “Just the energy that the students bring is inviting, and their enthusiasm for learning is very supportive for me as an administrator,” Perkins said.

Despite the fact that Perkins is an experienced teacher and administrator, he didn’t have many new concepts that he felt WHS needed. “This is a pretty good school already, and I just want to be a person there that’s a strong cheerleader for the students, who helps promote college and career readiness, and provides high quality opportunities for each and every kid,” Perkins said, “I am just one person. I am just a part of the whole picture. I alone definitely don’t run this school by any stretch of the matter.”