New Dana Hills High Principal Is a Former Dolphin

Today there is a new face behind the principal's desk at

Jason Allemann, 40, a Dana Hills graduate, has replaced exiting Principal the new independent-study high school.

"I am very excited to see that there is a lot of parental involvement and looking forward to building relationships with them and developing that," Allemann said. 

He is transitioning from Katella High School in Anaheim, where he has served as principal for four years. Prior to his current gig, he was a middle school principal, high school vice principal and counselor.

At Katella, Allemann says, his biggest accomplishment was part of a bilingualism program.

“We awarded students a special seal so they know that being bilingual can help them write professionally in both English and their native language," he said. "We challenged students to develop it into a marketable thing, whether it's a job or postsecondary school opportunities. Most important was rallying people at all levels to understand the value of it: teachers, students and parents.”

Being a principal can be a challenging job, he says.

“The job has so many different perspectives: the educators, parents, the students and their voices, staff/teachers, with the overall picture being the impact the school has on the community."

On the flip side, he says, the best part is that you never stop learning.

Allemann said his first task in acclimating himself to his new environment is “to really take the time to understand and see what the awesome things are that are already happening on campus, to see what's going on, because obviously if you look at the research and academics of DHHS, they're doing something right.”

To Allemann, the ideal classroom does not always have traditional, direct instruction from the teacher but opportunities for students' input and to be engaged and understand that what they're learning is relevant so that teachers can “make a connection with students' lives.”

 “In a general sense, the challenge as educators is for students to be connected with their school. My goal has always been and is that the students own their school and have pride in where they come from and promote and represent their school in a positive light. When educators do a good job of engaging students, the rest falls into place.”

Dana Hills High School is a former national Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School. It has 2,855 students and a 2010 Base Academic Performance Index of 850. 

“As a former Dana Hills Dolphin myself," he says, "I'm really looking forward to returning to the school I graduated from and having a positive impact on that community.”