A pillar of the LCHS for nearly thirty years, assistant principal Mark Patterson is stepping down after this school year. During his career, Patterson has assisted in the opening of Briar Woods High School, he has been a history teacher, SCA administrative sponsor, senior class sponsor, activity coordinator, and his current position, assistant principal.
For Patterson, teaching was the ultimate goal in his working life. After working a government job for eight years, Patterson went back to school to get his masters in education that would allow him to teach. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, which is why when I went off and started a first career that wasn’t teaching I always somehow knew that I wasn’t sure why I was doing that,” Patterson said.
Over his thirty year career, Patterson has seen a huge amount of change in the County and in education as a whole, especially in his position as assistant principal. “We increasingly have more and more administrative demands that to be quite honest, sometimes feel like it’s robbing me of the time that I’d rather spend with students and teachers and in classrooms. I get bogged down in my office with so much stuff that has to be done, that’s sometimes a little frustrating,” Patterson said.
Patterson started out when there were four high schools in the county; that number has jumped to 20 since, but these are really just physical changes, as he notes. “Despite all the changes, kids are still kids. I say kids, but high school is where we get to see them grow into young men and women. They’re funny, full of energy, and loaded with ideas. That hasn’t changed over the last 30 years,” Patterson said.
Some of Patterson’s favorite memories from his time here include lunch duty, a typically unpopular thing for teachers. “I’m one of those weird people, I actually like lunch duty…I just really love being able to watch. This is time when the kids are there. They’re usually…talking, they’re laughing, they’re at their most relaxed,” Patterson said.
Another memory is Patterson showing up many times dressed up as Santa for the winter sports pep rally.
During his retirement, Patterson plans to travel, read, spend time with family, and garden. “I’m an avid gardener,” Patterson said, gesturing to the number of plants sitting in his office.
Patterson has undoubtedly enjoyed his time at LCHS. “That’s the thing that I just love about this job. I get very, very angry with people who talk about…how bad teenagers are…that is not the case. I think teenagers are funny. They’re full of energy,” Patterson said.
The most important activity for Patterson during his retirement is to volunteer. Through programs run by his church, Patterson will assist many immigrant students by helping them with their homework. Another program involves preparing meals for the poor and giving them out. “It’s important to me to be part of that, reaching out to folks like that, to let them know that they’re not forgotten and that whatever we can do, we’re going to try to help,” Patterson said.
