A Dean-amic change: our schools new direction

by Ariana Castillo, Reporter

School News

Kamiak has a new Dean! Some may know Mike Rodriguez, our new Dean of Students from seeing him around campus or during lunch. 

Many students may not know what a Dean of Students does. Rodriguez handles everything under the umbrella of attendance, including tardies and skipping classes. But underneath all of that, Rodriguez is here to listen to Kamiak students’ stories and learn more about them. He strives to help them become the best version of themselves that they can possibly be in their high school years.

Rodriguez has been working in education for 33 years. He has exclusively worked in the Mukilteo School District (MSD): Explorer in 1992, Kamiak as a Viscom teacher in 2013, the tech office of the a in 2021-2024, and finally here at Kamiak once again as the Dean. Before joining MSD, he went to Seattle Pacific University. 

During his time at Seattle Pacific University, Rodriguez didn’t necessarily want to work in education. He aspired to be a filmmaker or something similar in the movie industry.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Rodriguez enjoys photography, mountain climbing, reading, watching sports like football and baseball, and watching movies. Some of  Rodriguez's favorite movies are, “Indiana Jones movies, Pixar movies like Incredibles and Toy Story.” He could name all of the Pixar movies. Rodriguez also likes a movie called 42.

Dean Rodriguez has three kids and no pets. When asked what type of animal he would be if he could be an animal he chose an eagle, “because they embody strength and loyalty and it would be cool to fly.” 

This year. Rodriguez is looking forward to what every day brings, because even though he has his routine down, things are bound to be different on a daily basis, because no one person is the same. 

Something that Mr. Rodriguez wants people to know about him is that he wishes people took the time to get to know him and everyone around them—that includes teachers, peers, or people in everyday life. He says this because “everyone has their own path they’re walking.”

The most memorable high school experience that he had was in his senior year. During the summer before 12th grad, his friend Steve was diagnosed with cancer, and they knew he most likely wasn’t going to live much longer. May of his senior year, the day of his jazz choir concert, Rodriguez got the devastating news that  Steve passed away. He said that this is the time he realized that, “Nothing is promised in life and that you need to be thankful that you’re able to do the things you love, and that you're able to live another day.”

Rodriguez's leadership style is “servant leadership,” which essentially means he focuses on helping others grow and tries to create a good environment for everyone. Rodriguez wants to help all the students at Kamiak become the best version of themselves during high school and be able to grow beyond high school. He believes that empathy is an important quality for everyone to have because “empathy is important. Kindness is important as well as compassion. We all have a tendency to focus on [ourselves], outwards it and focus on others.”

Rodriguez shared some advice for all of the Kamiak student body: “Stay curious and wonder about things. With social media, there's no wondering, because you have all the answers at your fingertips.” He also encourages students to “be slow to speak and quick to listen.” Finally he urges students to remember to not, “ let ‘perfect’ become the enemy of ‘good.’ When we get to the point where it's good, don't strive for perfection. It will stress [students] out unnecessarily.”

Make a stop at his office or say hi to him during school hours to learn more about him. If any students have any questions about attendance, Dean Rodriguez is there to help.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.