Park City High School Principal Roger Arbabi walked into a surprise early Tuesday morning: He’s the Utah Principal of the Year.
The announcement from Utah Association of Secondary School Principals came at the high schools common area at 7:15 a.m. According to the association’s website, Arbabi may have a chance to represent Utah principals nationally.
“The National Association of Secondary School Principals only allows for one principal to be nominated from each state,” the website states. “Therefore the UASSP Executive Board interviews the high school and middle school winners to determine which one will represent Utah in the National Association of Secondary School Principals competition for National Principal of the Year.”
“I’ve been in Utah for six years now and I know that the level of the quality of principals that are around high schools around the state, and they’re amazing.” Arbabi said.
He’s proudest of his school’s ability to maintain its academic rigor and close achievement gaps of students from underrepresented groups, he said.
“To be able to say that 86% of our students that are first-gen kiddos are going on to college, that takes a lot of effort,” he said. First generation kids are students whose parents were born in another country.
It also takes an incredible staff, he said, saying they’ve been able to build relationships with students and know their needs.
“I was given this award because of the numbers that are showing for our school, but then really the hard work happens with our students, our teachers every day,” he said.
While discussing how the high school has been able to help some students catch up while maintaining an academically rigorous environment for all, Arbabi mentioned the school’s Dream Big program, which allows first-generation students to meet their teachers and learn the first units of Advanced Placement courses the summer before the school year starts.
“They get to know the student, the student feels comfortable with them, and so on day one when class starts, you’ve got our first-gen kiddos that are answering the questions,” he said. “The other students are like, ‘Wow, this student really knows their stuff.'”
To other principals and administrators looking for the success Arbabi is being recognized for, his advice is simple: “Start small.”
“There’s no one magic pill to be able to create success with some of your most underrepresented students, so every single day you work at it it,” he said. “You have dedicated staff, and the staff really has to care.”
