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Don Keller’s Return to Millikan |
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As a member of the Millikan Class of 1968, we are celebrating our 40th reunion in August of this summer. I was asked to write about my road to returning as Millikan’s principal and my thoughts comparing Millikan in 1968 with now in 2008. As I approach retirement in a couple of years, I’m still amazed at how my life has come full circle since graduating from Millikan with the Class of 1968. Larry Burnight pointed out to me that I’m the lone Millikan grad to return as principal although we have approximately 30 – 35 other staff members at Millikan who graduated from Ram Hi, nearly all of whom I suspect will give the same account – that we feel at home at Millikan with a strange but satisfying sense of déjà vu. We have a saying, “Once a Ram, always a Ram.” I think it’s true. Icing on the cake for me was that prior to coming to Millikan, I enjoyed being principal for five years at another alma mater, Stanford Middle School, was also was a real treat. My road to becoming co principal of Millikan took a long and steady path of “stepping stone” assignments. I earned my BA in history and teaching credential from CSULB in 1973 and immediately started as an elementary teacher in the LBUSD. Over the next five years while teaching, I attended night classes earning my MA in education administration in 1978. I then embarked on two new professional assignments first at Newcomb and then at Wilson High School, serving at both schools as a classroom teacher, coach, and “acting” assistant principal through 1985. My administrative pathway included stints at Lindbergh Jr. High, the LBSD district office, and Lakewood High School over the next eight years. Feeling ready to become a principal, I left the LBUSD and became a middle school principal in Orange County for eight years. I was asked by the LBUSD to return and did when offered Stanford eight years ago. This is now my third year as co principal at Millikan. I regard my years as a student at Millikan as some of the best years of my life. We were a school of conformity to a great degree. Some of the cars being driven by our more fortunate classmates are now classic cars. For the guys, I remember the trench coats, letterman’s jackets, flattop haircuts, and the white “buck” shoes we needed to continually powder. The athletic competitions with other schools were legendary. The Ram Shack was a weekly hangout and the Emperors seemed to be everybody’s favorite band. If you joined a club, you needed to stand in a designated area of the quad when not in class. There was very little diversity and nearly everyone lived in the local neighborhood. Of course, Millikan was a three-year institution; ninth graders were still at “junior high schools.” Bob’s Big Boy was a good place to hang out. Millikan in those days was a friendly, fun place but there were definite social and academic pressures. Fast forward to Millikan, 2008. If you walk onto Millikan’s campus when pupils are not in school, you’ll think it was 1968. Millikan is now 52 years old. Despite bearing the brunt of 4,000 or more pupils in attendance on a yearly basis over the years, it still is a beautiful campus. Many high schools do not have the wonderful facility that is Millikan. An indoor swimming pool, a huge auditorium, and a “large” stadium are some of the outstanding plant features we enjoyed that are still well maintained today. Go into the cafeteria and you’ll still see the “Hall of Fame” pictures on the walls and be able to find the names and pictures of classmates. The gymnasium is now named after Howard Lyon, our basketball coach back then. Those who graduated in 1968 will recognize names of classmates in the trophy cases in the gym and front office. One feature you’ll notice is that Millikan, like all LBUSD high schools, is gated with a security system in place surrounding the school. You’ll also be surprised by the number of portable classrooms back in the athletic areas which were once open spaces. We have a new electronic marquee on Palo Verde apprising the community of upcoming events and activities. And you’ll see the prized addition to the campus, the relatively new three-story, air- conditioned 800 building on the south side of campus. In short, the campus is in great shape. If you walk onto Millikan’s campus when school is in session, things will look much different from 1968. First, you’ll have to come through the front security gate, sign in, show your identification, and wear a visitor’s badge. School security is present everywhere. We have eight school security officers (CSOs). A uniformed Long Beach Police Officer is stationed full-time on our campus, and her car is usually parked in front of the school. You’ll hear walkie-talkie radios as staff members communicate with each other. Golf carts are used to enhance mobility and shorten the response time of getting to an area. Then you’ll notice all Millikan pupils are in uniform! Actually, it’s not really a uniform because there are so many variations and options for pupils. However, you’ll notice all the pupils are wearing our school colors (navy blue, gold, and white) which is required. And, all pupils are required to wear current pictured Millikan ID’s on lanyards around their necks. As for the students, themselves, you’ll find diversity. Only 30% of Millikan pupils now live in the immediate neighborhood. The rest come mainly from the Poly area. The ethnic breakdown of our student population is about 50% Latino, 30% caucasion, 10% African American, and 8% Asian. You’ll see by displays that the “Millikan Nation” as we refer to it is now composed of seven smaller schools within the school also known as “academies” of small learning communities (SLCs). These seven “houses” are QUEST, COMPASS, PEACE, MBA, KIUP/GREEN, STELLAR, and Global Tech. Each academy has a special theme with its own “teachers.” At a time when too many pupils slip through the cracks in a large high school setting, these SLCs personalize education and provide support systems for success. As you watch the school day unfold, you’ll notice that most pupils do not use the lockers in the hallways. Instead, they carry backpacks. If you walk out to the physical education area, you’ll see the classes are composed of both boys and girls, all dressed in the unisex Millikan physical education uniform. With the advent of Title IX, girls’ athletics are now on par with boys. In fact, Millikan has its best girls’ basketball team ever this year, rated #7 in the state of California. Two of our female stars have earned full athletic scholarships to the University of Arizona and San Diego State, respectively! For those 1968 classmates who have been removed from the urban setting, the changes may be a shock to your system. Likewise, most folks associated with the school today would be shocked to go back in time and step foot on Millikan’s campus in 1968 while school was in session. School periods are now 90 minutes each on a block schedule rather than approximately 50 minutes each on the “traditional” bell schedule we knew. Students have half of their classes on “even” days and the other half on “odd days.” Oh, and yes, we now have two co principals. Several years ago, LBUSD high school administration was restructured to facilitate the effective daily operations of such a large school with so many responsibilities. My co principal is Dr. Jeff Cornejo, who has become a friend and partner. My personal goal for Millikan is to reconnect it to its past. When I arrived three years ago, I was saddened to learn the M-I-Double L-I-K-A-N song was in mothballs. It’s back and being played and sung once again! Millikan had slipped somewhat in the eyes of the community and in this time of “school choice” when students can apply to attend any high school in the district, too many local Millikan students were opting for other high schools. Our goal is to put Millikan back at the top where we belong by retaining and attracting great students from both our residence area and from across the district. In order to achieve this goal, maintaining a safe and secure school atmosphere in which students are comfortable and able to concentrate on their academics is the highest priority. Many now regard Millikan as the safest high school in the district. We work hard at encouraging and supporting tolerance and acceptance among our student population. Our school wide focus targets three areas -- academics, the arts, and athletics. We also have an important technology component but find we’re always struggling to stay current with existing technology because of the expense. We’ve made a point of hiring the very best teachers, coaches, and staff members available with seventy new faces coming aboard in the past two years! I have been personally involved in interviewing over 90% of the candidates. As a result of such scrutiny and attention, our teaching faculty is absolutely remarkable; our existing outstanding teachers are now bolstered by the arrival of our exemplary newcomers. The combined talents of both have brought Millikan tremendous recognition. We’re seeing the results of our efforts in several ways. Parents are turning out at our school events in record numbers. Applications to attend Millikan have increased substantially. Indications are that Millikan is once again being highly regarded as an educational institution although we still have work to do. As for me, I’m having fun being a co principal at Millikan. Upon arrival, I already knew the words to the alma mater (Hail Blue and Gold). My closet is filled with blue and gold clothing to the extent my wife has sarcastically nicknamed me “Mr. Millikan.” Returning as Millikan’s co principal has been a fun, but strange, ride for me. I can honestly say that this is my dream job. And after all these years, I still get excited about Winter Break, Spring Break, and summer vacation, just like in the “old” days. To stay current with Millikan, Click Here. In conclusion, as always, “It’s great to be a Ram!” Donald Keller
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