Steve Molina
Principal, Ernest Righetti High School
Principal, Ernest Righetti High School
Righetti's New Principal, Steve Molina, Focuses on Collaboration
“I feel really good,” says Righetti High’s Steve Molina of the six years he has spent as Assistant Principal there. Although he is excited about the position he will officially begin on July 1st as the school’s new Principal, he adds, “I haven’t had time for it to sink in yet!”
A Fresno State graduate, Molina spent eight years teaching high school math in Fresno and Oxnard. As the years progressed he became frustrated with the system, feeling that students deserved more opportunities to excel than just what they were being offered in the form of standardized tests. He felt strongly that not every student had the capacity to score high enough on these tests and that there had to be other methods for placement.
In an attempt to help students succeed in math, Molina started a Math Academy in the summers for students he felt had potential. The ultimate goal was to have the students in calculus classes by their senior year. Mr. Molina, who wanted to do more, then became interested in school administration.
Determined to find ways to make things better for the kids he served, Molina spent one year as an Assistant Principal in Los Angeles “I enjoyed it, but not the [90 minute] commute. I really wanted to live and work in the same community.” So when the opportunity to become Assistant Principal at Righetti came up, he jumped at the chance.
“I was amazed at the opportunity for growth I was provided with here. I got a lot of support coming in.” Molina was finally allowed to share and implement his ideas for higher student achievement and ways to best meet their needs. He adds that being an AP did not come to him naturally, but instead he has grown over the last six years as he has listened to and learned from mentors, fellow staff, students, and the community as a whole.
How will his duties change once he becomes Principal? “As Assistant Principal, you are given your responsibilities and parameters to work in. As Principal you are overlooking everything.” From maintenance staff to PTSA, Molina will be working with a whole slew of new and different people. “It’s overwhelming but doable.” In the spirit of learning, he will be attending a new principals conference at UCLA in July.
As far as student achievement, Molina’s philosophy is simple. “It takes a collaborative effort to increase student achievement. It is everyone taking ownership, not just the administration,” he says. “The learning curve is just so great for improvement.”
One of the ways Mr. Molina has found to assist students and parents is by providing workshops such as Domingo de Padres for the parents of ELL and Title I students to share important information about college programs and other aspects of their children’s futures.
When he is not stationed at Righetti, Molina offers his time to the Young Educated Latino Leaders. Through this organization, young people are given the opportunity to listen to guest speakers who have come from the same places as the students and gone on to do great things. Among past speakers are lawyers, doctors, and even someone from the FBI.
At home, Steve spends all of his free time with his wife and his 10-month-old son, who will one day benefit from his father’s dedication to education.
.
