By: Eleni King Martin

Being a student at McCaskey, you’ve most likely seen Dr. Reese somewhere. Whether it’s walking to class, eating at breakfast and lunch, or just being around campus, Dr. Reese seems to be everywhere. But, have you ever wondered what Dr Reese actually does or what he wants to do? Well, us too. After spending a day with Dr. Reese, my fellow Vidette writer, Sofia Escudero, and I are here to share about his plans and priorities for the future. 

Before becoming our principal, Dr. Reese was a teacher at McCaskey for nearly ten years. He was a social studies teacher, teaching ninth grade US history and tenth grade cultural studies. While teaching, Dr. Reese went through graduate school to earn two masters degrees in education leadership and alternative education. He also earned a PhD in education leadership. After completing graduate school he became an assistant principal, overseeing the AP and IB departments. Dr. Reese left McCaskey for a few short years to pursue administration at Smith-Wade-El elementary school. With all this experience, he came back to McCaskey as our very own principal. He has been our campus principal for almost five years now!

Dr. Reese made it clear that his main priority at school was the safety and security of the student body. He wants to create a safe space for all students, he wants students to feel welcome and secure when at school. He says, “At home, your parents are your guardians. But at school, I am your guardian, I am responsible for your safety.” For this reason, Dr. Reese and the assistant principals make a point to create real connections with students. 

As for future plans for McCaskey, Dr. Reese expressed interest in making the school an even more enriching environment for students. In the realm of academics, he wants to continue expanding the AP and IB programs to give more opportunities in higher level classes. With these expansions, Dr. Reese wants to get more equipment for CTE classes (i.e. tools for building trades) and more equipment for higher level sciences (i.e. lab equipment). Dr. Reese also wants to expand laptop access to make online work easier. Outside the world of academics, Dr. Reese wants to expand lunch options. He also wants to prioritize diversity and recruit more McCaskey alumni when hiring teachers, administrators, and other building officials. 

It is clear that Dr. Reese has our best interests at heart. He is an amazing principal and we couldn’t be happier to have him at the heart of our McCaskey community.