Land O' Lakes Principal Focuses on the 'Big Picture'

Principal Rick Mellin is a big fan of Walt Disney. He calls Disney World the “happiest place on earth.”  

The fact of the matter is, Land O’ Lakes High School (LOLHS), is a pretty happy place, too.

Mellin, a native of Miami, received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of South Florida. He began his career in Pasco County as a teacher at Stewart Middle, moved on to Pine View Middle, and in 1999, was hired by Andy Frelick as an assistant principal at Wesley Chapel High School. In October of 2005, he was appointed principal at Mitchell High. He transferred to Land O’ Lakes in March 2009.

“Andy Frelick, current principal at Ridgewood High School, is great at developing people,” said Mellin. "We had incredible assistant principals at Wesley Chapel. Besides me, we had Gary Walthall, currently principal at Sunlake High School, and Beth Brown, the new executive director of middle schools. Quite a staff!”

Mellin is the consummate professional, and is very articulate. When asked about the single most important quality a principal should have, he was direct.

“You have to see the big picture,” he said. “You must understand all of the variables that are associated with running a successful school.”

Mellin must be doing something right. Two years ago, Land O' Lakes was designated as an A school by the state of Florida, and last year’s grade will be published soon.

The main challenges facing Land O' Lakes are maintaining its focus and implementing the new teacher evaluation system.

“When you are a high performing school, sometimes complacency can set in,” said Mellin. “In order for us to move forward, the great challenge is to broker the changes in philosophy.”

Mellin and his administrative staff will implement the new state mandated teacher evaluation system based on education guru Robert Marzano’s protocols.

“Teachers will have to consistently demonstrate best practices in their classrooms,” said Mellin. “Our teachers are exceptional, and will continue to do fantastic job.”

The quality of a student’s educational experience at Land O' Lakes is extremely important to Mellin.

“We try to offer courses that the student's want,” he said. “We survey the students and use the data to make our decisions. Students indicated that hospitality and culinary arts was very important to them, and that was the beginning of the development of the ”

Mellin is an advocate of parents getting involved in their child’s education.

“That doesn’t mean, coming to a Friday night football game,” he said. “Parents need to spend time interacting with their sons or daughters, and help them with their social skills, and ensure they make good decisions."

Mellin has visions of Disney’s Tomorrow Land when it comes to the state of public education.

“I would love to change the image of public education," he said. “For every 100 things that go on in education, 99 are positive. All of the attention is given to that one thing that might go wrong. It is a challenge to overcome that obstacle.”

Technology plays an important role at Land O' Lakes. The school has approximately 400 computers to serve its student population of 1,600. “Technology evolves so fast, it is hard to keep up,” said Mellin.  

The sluggish economy has had an effect on all faculty members. Furlough days, and the state mandated 3 percent contribution to each employee’s retirement fund has people flustered.

“I have great empathy for the staff," said Mellin. “I am their sounding board. I explain to them that we are all in this together, and that hopefully things will improve.”

Rick Mellin may very well be the Walt Disney of high school principals. Like Disney, he has great vision, confidence and sees the big picture. He believes he has assembled the best faculty in Pasco County. The kids are happy and successful, and Mellin himself says his family is the most important thing to him.

In spite of the economic issues that all educators face, Land O' Lakes high is thriving. The new culinary arts academy rivals the best teaching kitchens in the world. The International Baccalaureate program is producing top students. Advanced placement classes are preparing students for the academic world of post-secondary education. 

Mellin, who played the drums in his high school band, is maintaining a steady beat to ensure Land O’ Lakes High School continues to provide a top-notch education.

Maybe Land O' Lakes high should be called Mellin's Gator World?