Dr. Gary Waddell, SCUSD’s current superintendent, is leaving this year. Having joined the district in July 2022 and becoming the permanent superintendent in January 2023, Dr. Waddell shares that the one thing he’d change about his experience is “having more time. I really like to spend as much time as I can in schools. When I walk around a school site, that reminds me of why we’re in this business and what it’s all about.” Whether talking to a teacher or walking around classrooms, Dr. Waddell loves seeing the impact his work makes on students.
Dr. Waddell has been working in public education for around 40 years. He has a doctorate in educational leadership and advanced degrees in school administration, school counseling, and drama. He started as a school counselor before moving on to being an elementary school principal, a middle school counselor, a county office administrator, and finally our very own superintendent. When asked why he decided to build a career in public education, Dr. Waddell spoke enthusiastically to his belief in public education: “Public schools are one of the last places in our democracy where we all come together beyond lines of race or class or any other variables that sometimes separate us. I really believe strongly in kids and nurturing their growth and potential and what they can accomplish in their lives.”
As a person, Dr. Waddell’s hobbies range from traveling to reading to writing to music. Dr. Waddell is also vegetarian and enjoys trying unique and ethnic vegetarian dishes at restaurants. He mostly reads professional and children’s books. With his upcoming retirement, he is looking forward to having more time to read and travel. Dr. Waddell’s first book, The Art Of Everything, discusses creativity, leadership, and art. He has recently revealed a second book is on the way, outlined a few years ago. This book will also discuss creativity and leadership, a common message across his books that he hopes to convey towards his audience. Dr. Waddell states his main reason for retirement is that he felt it was time, as he has had a lengthy and successful career in public education. He further states, “I love the work and I love the district…I think the district is in a very good place with some clear goals.”
A few of the goals stem from the esteemed One Million Acts of Kindness program, one of Dr. Waddell’s great accomplishments with SCUSD. The reason Dr. Waddell believes this program to be so impactful is “that being kind to one another creates environments where students feel safer.” The program seeks to encourage students to practice individual acts of kindness like sitting with a student at lunch or preventing bullying, in the pursuit of creating a more codependent community community. The program also acts as the foundation for group efforts throughout the district that work towards its goals. These include campaigns, displays, and fundraising efforts to support student needs. At Wilcox, Charger Chips represent our own school’s take on the One Million Acts of Kindness program, encouraging students to be kind to one another and help out their teachers.
Some other accomplishments Dr. Waddell is proud of are “our work around equity and closing opportunity gaps,” and “our work around arts leadership, we developed a strategic arts plan in my first year here.”
Dr. Waddell believes it is important to motivate students as they live through high school, considering how important of a period it is in their lives: “Listen to yourself, to understand your own power and agency and how you can impact the circumstances of your life and world. How we treat other people along the way matters, and that it’s easy to feel hurdles that are facing us are insurmountable but they really aren’t, and you just have to stay committed to finding ways to make a difference…There are no limits to what’s possible, you just have to continue to not let hurdles that get in your way stop you.”
