After seven years as principal here, Richard Nash will make his departure at the end of this school year to spend more time with his family and become more involved with his son’s academic career.
Some of Nash’s favorite achievements include his involvement in the unified sports program and the Esports room.
“I think the launching of Unified Sports this year was pretty exciting for me. I think any time when we can see all of our students involved and engaged, it’s exciting,” Nash said.
Nash hopes that our Poway High community continues to grow after he leaves, especially after the new look of the campus this year.
“I think with the new branding and with the exciting energy of these recent classes coming in, I really hope that we continue to grow closer as a community, if not rigor, find a way to connect ourselves to the school community,” Nash said.
Assistant Principal Michael Gizzo has worked closely with Principal Nash since he joined the staff in 2022.
“What I’ll miss most about Mr. Nash isn’t necessarily a school-related thing, but he is very supportive of our families. He believes that families come first, and he’s gone out of his way to help support me, my family, and we get to play golf once in a while, and I’ll miss those golf trips,” Gizzo said
Another staff member who has worked closely with Nash, Pam Goepfort has been his administrative assistant since 2021 appreciates his generosity.
“He buys snacks for the kids. We have a big group of kids who come up every day and get them. And because of that, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of students who normally wouldn’t be coming up to the office.” She said.
Throughout his time here, Nash has helped and guided thousands of students through their high school experiences.
Nash’s parting advice is to strive to become more knowledgeable and not to let others make you question your value.
“The first is to know your worth. Don’t let somebody else decide how valuable you are. You should know how valuable you are and carry yourself that way every day. I think the second is that there is nothing more liberating than education. It provides you the opportunity and the access to do great things in the world,” Nash said.
