For the 2020–2021 school year, ANHS will have a new interim principal: Mr. Hatcher. Due to Mrs. Christensen’s absence, the district requested Mr. Hatcher to assume her position, and he gladly accepted the offer.

Prior to Aliso, Mr. Hatcher was the assistant principal in charge of guidance at Tesoro High School for five years. Additionally, he earned a degree in chemistry and taught the subject for ten years.

     This school year will undoubtedly be a very different and unprecedented year. However, Mr. Hatcher and the rest of the faculty are prepared for what is to come. 

     When asked about how he will navigate this school year, Mr. Hatcher said, “It’s about planning. We want to follow all of the rules and regulations that are given to us by the Orange County Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We want to make sure that we follow those and prepare for those the best we can.”

     He also claims that “Another aspect is supporting our teachers. This is a new environment and new way of teaching for all of them. They are such amazing professionals and we want them to be successful.”

     Mr. Hatcher is really looking forward to getting students back on campus and getting to know students. He hopes to return to any semblance of a normal life. He understands that socially distancing and wearing masks is not necessarily normal, however, he views this as getting one step closer to returning to the normal high school experience.

     The principal also addressed concerns students and their families may be having about returning back to school in these uncertain times.

     “We are working hard to make sure that all of the guidelines established by our government are being followed. We also need students to take a level of personal responsibility for themselves,” says Mr. Hatcher.

     He assures that there will be hand-washing stations and that every classroom will have hand sanitizer; he encourages students to use these resources and try their best to socially distance. Students who do not follow the protocol (e.g. resisting to wear their masks) after three warnings will be asked to switch to online learning.

     Outside of his profession, Mr. Hatcher enjoys spending time with his family. He has two sons who are in elementary school and his wife teaches at Ladera Ranch Middle School. He enjoys being involved in his boys’ lives as he coaches his son’s soccer and basketball teams.

     Mr. Hatcher is very excited to be at Aliso and has been looking forward to being a high school principal for the 17 years he has been in education. He hopes to continue working at Aliso for as long as he can.