After Mrs. Pendleton’s departure in March, many of Clark’s students have been wondering who would follow her as our new principal. After our interview with her replacement, our team is very excited to welcome Mr. Antonio Rael to Clark High School.

Mr. Rael has been in education for a very long time, and as a math major who went to school on a football scholarship, has always seen the importance of all aspects of education.

“I’m a huge fan of providing opportunities for students to ultimately unleash their potential,” says Mr. Rael, when asked to introduce himself and the things he finds important. “For me, this is all about helping to unlock the greatest potential of the people around me.”

Mr. Rael has had many different positions in CCSD, from being a math teacher to part of district level leadership. However, he’s more excited than ever to take on the new challenge of joining the Clark High School team.

“There is nothing like being in this day-to-day school environment,” he replied when asked about what he thought of Clark so far.

Of course, everyone wonders what new changes will be implemented with a change in leadership. For Mr. Rael, understanding Clark High School’s success is his primary goal.

“What has made us great- that’s an interesting study. My path right now is to look at what has made us great, and to learn from that success to identify opportunities where we can make our next steps.”

When asked about his favorite part of Clark so far, Mr. Rael replied, “the student population- there’s something really special about it. The melting pot of diversity and unique perspectives found here is incredibly powerful. But beyond that, the staff here has so much talent and so much passion.”

The most important message that our new principal has for us is his eagerness to start working with the kids at Clark.

“I just want the students reading this article to know that I am all in. Whatever that looks like from what the students need from me- I’m all in. I want to think differently about how things are done, but I also want to be your greatest cheerleader and supporter for your success, here, and tomorrow.”