Profile: DHS Principal Dan Haron
NEIRAD enilno edition
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Just who is our new Principal Mr. Dan Haron? Sure, he's the math-teacher-turned-principal at Darien High School -- but many wonder who the man is behind the desk in the administration office. The Intro to Journalism class held a press conference to find out.
Principal Dan Haron, was a 1990 graduate of Westhill High School in Stamford, a 1994 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and he has a graduate degree from Columbia University. He is a basketball player, a self-proclaimed bookworm and is rumored to be a telepath.“I don’t even have to speak to him. It’s as if he reads my mind,” physics teacher George Marrash said.
Mr. Haron is also the father of four and has known his wife, Rachel, since 6th grade. The couple went to Westhill together as well, but didn’t start dating until college. In an interview with Neirad Enilno, Mrs. Haron described our principal as being a “very quiet” 6th grader when she first met him, but she now additionally describes her husband as “good natured.” Mr. Haron said that the best moment of his life was the day their first son was born in the year 2000.
In the Westhill High School’s yearbook archives, Mr. Haron's and his wife’s pictures can be found along with our head custodian, Rodney Brown. Rodney was a grade younger than Mr. Haron, but still remembers seeing him in the hallways and being with Mrs. Haron in band class. Now all these years later the classmates were reunited when they both landed jobs right here at DHS. Rodney says he enjoys working with his fellow Westhill alum: “Dan has always made me feel welcome.” Mr Haron's responsiveness impresses Rodney. He said when he brings any issue to Mr. Haron such as staff training on cafeteria duty, Mr. Haron always acts quickly to resolve the situation. “It doesn’t matter how big or small, Dan always responds immediately. I have no problem coming to see him,” Rodney said.
Mr. Haron didn’t always expect to become a school principal when he was contemplating a career during his Westhill days. After he was turned down by Harvard University, Mr Haron attended the Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania and planned to be a businessman. Part of the reason he changed to education was the influence of his mother, who is a teacher, he said.
As his first year as principal draws to a close, Mr. Haron said of his inaugural year, "Obviously, some things are more difficult to deal with than others, but I can say that it's never boring." Indeed, with pressing issues like the theft of electronics and other valuables from the cafeteria and locker room; the alcohol and drug commitment policy; and the school's authority on students using the Web, there's never an uneventful day as principal of Darien High School.
DHS staffers say Haron’s success in the classroom is one of the great strengths he brings to his new position.
"What makes Dan such a capable and supportive administrator, among other things, is that he is and will always be a teacher's teacher. He knows first-hand the pleasures and challenges of educating young people, and he brings that to bear on his interaction with the faculty, which is always positive, encouraging, and solution-oriented," English teacher Jessica Ginsburg said.
Mr. Haron had much to say about how the administration is dealing with another issue at DHS: the pervasive theft problem. "I don't think we can ever completely solve it," he said. Mr Haron did show some ways that the administration plans to combat theft. Cameras will be installed outside the locker rooms and there will be cameras in the cafeterias, outside the auditorium and near the bathrooms. However, the best way to prevent robberies, Mr. Haron said, is to lock up your valuables.
Mr. Haron also clarified the new commitment policy regarding drug and alcohol abuse for next academic year. Commitment will now additionally encompass all extracurricular activities, raising many questions for clubs like Theatre 308. For example, if the lead actor in the play is caught violating the commitment policy, where does that leave 308? Mr. Haron replied that the new policy would be good incentive for the cast and crew of 308's productions to make a team effort to adhere to this new policy.
Another hot topic for Mr. Haron was the extent of the school's authority on the Internet. When do a student’s actions on the Web become the administration's business? Mr. Haron said, "If what happens outside of school, whether on the Internet or otherwise, spills into the school day, we have to get involved." According to the principal, threats and confrontations online that become real-life confrontations, or anything that could involve the police would constitute "spilling over" into school.
"Here's the rule of thumb: if you put it in writing, assume it's going to be on the front page of the New York Times. Do you really want that information out there?" he asked.
On the lighter side, Mr. Haron told us that there isn’t a single “screaming headline” change that he anticipates making. He said that in 10 or 15 years, he hopes that DHS will continue its path of academic success and pursuit of excellence. As a general rule he believes in the adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Mr. Haron added that his door is always open if students have any questions or thinks something might be broken that our new principal can fix.
Check out Mr Haron's picture from his first year @ DHS on page 6 of the October 5, 1998 Neirad archives.
With additional reporting from Kimberly Michels