Submitted by Jane Irion YHS sophomore in Journalism. See original story here: YHS Blueprint #1
OAKHURST – This year we welcomed a new vice principal, Mr. Todd Partin. He is from Winchester, Indiana and was in the Air Force.
He joined the military right out of high school and stayed for 23 years. He started as a Hebrew Linguist for 11 years and then moved onto be an Officer in the Air Force as an Acquisitions Program Manager.
Our Assistant Principal, Mr. Partin, helped to create the Nuclear Targeting and Missile Warning Systems that the U.S. government uses.
While serving as an enlisted member he primarily flew on the RC-135 Rivet Joint Aircraft.
He loved “the camaraderie of the flight crews and the opportunity to see so much of the world as an aircrew member.” He said, “It was definitely exhausting and sometimes very uncomfortable, but overall I enjoyed my experience very much and I would definitely do it all over again.”
After he retired from the Air Force he went over to Fresno State to be the Recruiting Flight Commander and Detachment Commander of the ROTC Program.
After finding his way to the Fresno area, he decided to get into education. In 2015, he took his most recent job and became a teacher at Clovis East High School. Mr. Partin attended secondary education for 11 years.
He has received an Associate’s Degree in Communications through the Community College of the Air Force and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. He has also received two Master’s Degrees and is currently completing his third. His first was in Counseling and Human Relations, his second in Christian Ministries, and the third in Education.
Mr. Partin has been all over the world. His favorite place to live was England in a town called Mildenhalll Village. He loved being able to fly to nearby European countries and take the Eurail throughout Europe.
The most interesting place he has traveled to was Afghanistan for a year. He went to see first hand how they live apart from what the media portrays. Although he has traveled all over, he likes living in this area and enjoys the life of being in a small town.
In his free time he enjoys going scuba diving with his two daughters, and hiking on our beautiful hiking trails. His favorite local restaurants are El Cid and the Blue Heron.
The job of the Assistant Principal is to enforce policies and the expectations of the principal. He is making sure to work with the teachers and give them all the resources and support that they need. He helps with everything from technical issues to disciplinary issues.
His leadership skills he’d acquired from the military translated well to education. Mr. Partin is excited to interact with students and become a mentor for the ones that need a little extra direction.
He wanted to come to a smaller school so he could make personal connections with more students. During COVID-19 and distance learning he is having trouble with that, but he is still very excited to be a part of our school!
