A castle is only as strong as its king, and the king of our castle stands mighty strong upon his home. Ask anyone on campus about Principal Doug Dall and you will hear one thing in common: “Mr. Dall has a vision for our school.”

“During my interview for the job of library media teacher, when the Clark office was a trailer, he took me on a tour of [Clark] that was under construction,” recalled library / media teacher Susan Newcomer. According to Newcomer, Dall had “the vision and courage to create Clark Magnet High School.” She praised him for bringing together eager students and, above all else, caring for his talented staff.

On this matter Newcomer is not alone. Counseling Clerk Becky Bondy recalled when she was hired. “Mr. Dall called me personally and asked me if I may come for an interview,” she said. “And when I did come here, I remember his ask me one thing, ‘How can you make this school better?’”

Dall began his career in education 36 years ago, when in 1980 he joined the GUSD, working as a teacher at Wilson Junior High School. In 1997 Dall was given the task of erecting a high school out of nothing, hire the proper staff, and make the school appealing for students who were not in the traditional attendance area for a school that did not yet exist. In the 18 years that Dall has led the school, it was titled a two-time National Blue Ribbon School, a two-time California Distinguished School, a seven-time Title I Achieving School, among many more honors. Ultimately, all these achievements boiled down to Dall’s strong vision for the school and, as Dall said, “the Clark staff, students, parents, GUSD staff and board members who […] have made this high level of school success possible.”

When interviewing teacher Conrad Pruitt, Dall “sat down and asked me questions about my kickboxing career,” Pruitt said. “I found this very funny and in a way comforting.” When teacher Dominique Evans-Bye began her diving trips, Dall aided her in many of the field trips and taught the students how to dive at Sports Chalet, where he worked as a scuba instructor.

This isn’t the only time Dall worked directly with his students. When teacher John Over showed Dall an art project done by senior Cierra Serrano, Dall proceeded to leave the class quietly and return with a drill to put Serrano’s art piece on the wall. “She felt very touched by that moment,” Over said.

Dall did all this because he had a vision for a school with a project- based education, one that accommodated students with all forms of learning patterns and encouraged its staff to work their hardest. “Dall designed most of the building back when it was being remodeled,” said teacher Randy Tiffany. “He expanded the entire science wing just to focus more on education.” Teacher Nick Doom said that Dall worked tirelessly to win Clark countless accolades and awards.

Ultimately, Over said, Dall will be remembered for his “vision of a project-based education and his ability to be in touch with his students.”