Principal Spotlight: Anthony Taranto

Preparing children for their lives after high school and pushing them to take the opportunities that come their way are some of the goals that new Principal Anthony Taranto is hoping to achieve in his first year at the school.

Having previously been the principal at , Taranto is excited to take his personable, respectful leadership approach to an older age group.

Redondo Beach Patch sat down with Taranto to ask him about his expectations for the students, goals for the school, and more.

Redondo Beach Patch: What is your educational background?

Taranto: I grew up on the East Coast, in a small town just outside of Pittsburgh. I went to Pennsylvania State University, where I have a degree in business management. After college I worked for a few years at Enterprise Rent-A-Car where I was promoted to manager. 

I decided to go back and get my teaching credential and while I was doing my student teaching the opportunity came up to interview for positions in Fontana, CA. 

A month later, I started my teaching career in Fontana, where I taught third grade. I was encouraged to go back and get my administration credential, which I did from the University of Redlands in 2002. 

I actually had left Fontana for a while and moved to Washington where I worked as a curriculum specialist for a few months before being promoted to assistant principal at a middle school in Federal Way. 

There was the opportunity to return to California and work under the sun, which you just can't put a price tag on. I was hired as principal by Alta Vista Elementary in 2006, where I worked until I was promoted to principal of Adams Middle School.

RB Patch: What has it been like moving from place to place to take these opportunities?

Taranto: I've been very fortunate to have opportunities present themselves to me and [as] a result of going to college and pursuing higher endeavors, I put myself in position to go to different places.  Both of my parents worked in mills and always emphasized for me to go to college and take advantage of getting an education, because it really opens up new doors for you.

RB Patch: What are your first impressions of Adams Middle School?

Taranto: I love it. Being at the elementary school is great because that's where my roots are, but the kids [at Adams] are fantastic. I'm greeted every day with smiles, handshakes, fist bumps and high-fives. 

RB Patch: What qualities do you have that make you the right fit for Adams Middle School?

Taranto: One of the things that I try to do is be a very personable principal—to be very student-centered. It's not uncommon for me to be amongst a group of kids talking to them and just trying to get a chance to know them. It's not as important to be a figurehead, but to be more of that personable principal that interacts with them. I think that kids will respond better if there's mutual respect. 

RB Patch: What are your expectations for your students?

Taranto: I have high expectations. It starts with personal expectations, and I think it goes all the way down to the students. It's how we conduct ourselves while we're here at school, and I try to bring a lot of enthusiasm to the job. I try to encourage our students to do their best on a daily basis, not just academically but also how they interact with their peers and teachers and outside in the community. 

is a solid district to be working in. I love working here at Adams, and I want our kids to take that same approach when they're out in the community. I want them to speak very highly of their school. 

RB Patch: What are some of your goals for Adams?

Taranto: I think one of the important things as middle school principal is that you have other elementary schools that feed into yours. It’s essential for us to have a K-8 community feel and that students and their families from and Adams intermingle with each other. It's important that those fifth graders that are going to be coming here know me early on so that when they come to Adams, it's like they've been here the whole time. It's the same thing for all of our feeder schools.

My plan is to go out to those schools when they have various fifth grade activities and be a part of that so I become a familiar face. I want the community to know what great things are going on at our schools.

RB Patch: What do you think your students need to know after completing school at Adams?

Taranto: I think they really need to be made aware of the , that way they know how important it is for them to stay on track. They need to know the importance of taking advantage of opportunities to further themselves. They should be preparing themselves for whatever course they choose after high school. 

When I was a high school senior, my guidance counselor flat out told me that I'm not college material and that I should go work in a mill. It kind of resonated with me that it wasn't his job to tell me that. It should be for me to determine what my future is, so I think the message for kids would be to take advantage of any opportunities and to determine their own paths. Our job is to prepare them to make that decision.