On Feb. 2, principal Dr. Michael Jones announced that he will be retiring this academic year. His last day will be June 30.
Jones made the decision to resign to spend time with his son and take care of his elderly parents, both of whom are 86-years-old.
“I was talking to my parents about the decision to continue working another three years or retire now,” Jones said. “My dad said to me, ‘You’re not getting any younger … You have more years behind you than you have ahead of you.’ And something in me just clicked.”
This is the second year of Jones’s role as Aragon principal in his 33rd-year-long career in education administration.
“I feel proud that this is the place where I can hang my principal hat,” Jones said. “[Aragon has an] outstanding school community, a great administrative team to work with, great parents [and] community student leaders. I know that this school is going to be just fine.”
As principal, Jones has been focusing on achieving Western Association of Schools and Colleges goals that qualify Aragon as a WASC-accredited school. These goals include connecting all students to academic and skill-based success.
“We are committed as staff to supporting our multi-lingual learners and struggling students,” Jones said. “We want to make sure that every student has the same experience here. [We are] very equity-centered and student-focused.”
Superintendent Randall Booker will be meeting with recruitment firm Leadership Associates on Feb. 17 to begin the hiring process for Aragon’s next principal.
