- Name: Douglas Sanford is 32. Education is his career. On July 1, Sanford will step into the role of principal at Montville Township High School.
- Family: Sanford and his wife will celebrate five years of marriage this month. The couple lives in Califon, NJ, with their two daughters. Devon is two years-old, while Cassidy just turned three months.
- Career: “I was drawn to education in terms of helping youth find where they want to be in life,” said Sanford. He discovered his passion for education while studying at Loyola University in Maryland. “I had a lot of really great mentors during my undergraduate experience that helped me shape where I wanted to go. I kind of wanted to give that back.” Sanford began his career as a math teacher for a private school, in Maryland. As a young teacher he discovered that he also enjoyed coaching. After several years Sanford gravitated toward administration. “I really saw that as an opportunity to help impact and shape the school as a whole,” said Sanford. “Really help the student body figure out what it is they want to do. Create those opportunities within the whole school-setting so that they can try new things.”
- Discipline: Understanding the culture of the school, will factor into Sanford’s approach to discipline. “I am very fortunate,” noted Sanford. “My experiences have hit both ends of the spectrum.” Having been an administrator at both Westfield High School and Delaware Valley High School, Sanford feels he has served in both one of the most liberal, and one of the most rigid schools in the state. As he has done in the past, he will approach discipline with an understanding of the community.
- Visibility: “Getting out there, and being visible, not only lets people understand who I am and get to know me, but it also lets me get to know the school,” Sanford said. Sanford remembers his own high school principal in Westfield, NJ. As an administrator Sanford is impressed by how much time his principal spent in the halls and classrooms. Sanford intends to spend time with teachers and students, observing them in the classrooms and hallways. He will also observe coaches on the field, and all other aspects of the school. Sanford believes in utilizing all avenues of communication with parents, staff, teachers, and students.
- Initiatives: “For me, right now, it’s going to be about learning about the school. Learning about the community. Learning about the students. Trying to understand what potential they have, and what needs the community and the school will have in the years going forward,” explained Sanford. “So to say that I am going to jump right in and flip everything upside down, that’s not going to be the case. It’s going to be, ‘Let’s understand the school before we go ahead and try and steer it in different directions’” Sanford also noted, “I like to see a high level of community involvement. These are young men and women. Their opinions matter. They should have a voice.”
- Goals: “One of the things that I think really helps schools in general is really working towards a set of goals,” said Sanford. He noted that goals help a staff to stay focused, and provides teachers with a sense of support.
- Extracurricular Initiatives: Sanford finds “Co-curricular activities provide excitement, and excitement is contagious,” he said. That kind of excitement keeps kids interested in school, and teaches time management.
- Does He Plan to Stay: Sanford has done a fair amount of moving around in his career as he made moves which allowed him to explore teaching, coaching, and administration. “I would love to sink my roots in somewhere, and sink them nice and deep, and stick around for as long as possible,” Sanford said. “I can say that very comfortably. I want to be somewhere where I can get to know the community, understand its culture. I think you need several years to really do that.”
- Favorite Thing about Montville: “What I longed for was a k-12 setting,” Sanford said. “I am coming from a regional high school. In these times that is a difficult setting to work under.” Sanford also likes Montville’s focus on academic subjects and the town’s strong emphasis on co-curricular activities.
- Hobbies: “More than anything I love spending time with my wife and my two daughters,” said Sanford. He also plays soccer and, since he was a golf coach, enjoys golf. “I’m a sucker for yard work, too,” he added. “I love gardening.”
- Philosophy: “I have to give away my first day of school speech for students,” said Sanford. “Each day, promise to try something new.” No matter how big or small, trying something new helps a person discover something new. Sanford feels students don’t realize that high school is a formative time, designed to encourage them to explore and try new things. “What I want you to do is have your diploma and be curious,” he said.
