In The News: Malone saying goodbye to NHS

The longtime Blue School principal returning to his roots at Roosevelt High School

Dan Malone isn’t very loud at Newberg High School sporting events, or when he’s talking to kids in the hallways or at lunch, “collecting garbage like no other.”

But few, if any, others have been to as many games, plays, concerts or extracurricular activities the school offers.

It’s all about connecting with and supporting kids, which is why his presence has been as big or bigger than anyone at NHS the past 10 years.

That’s why he’s among the most popular adults among students at NHS and the reason he draws some of the loudest cheers at graduation every year.

It also means he will leave massive shoes to fill next year, as he has elected to return to Roosevelt High School, where he spent the first 22 years of his professional career.

“He is the biggest and most visible personality,” said assistant principal and athletic director Tim Burke, who has been at the school for 28 years. “It will definitely be a different atmosphere, but hopefully we open up that position real soon and we can find somebody who can try to match his level of enthusiasm and passion for kids. No matter what they’re interested in, he’s right there rooting them on.”

Malone began volunteering with the student newspaper at Roosevelt High School in 1978 when he was a student at the University of Portland and was hired on staff in 1981 after student teaching at the north Portland school.

After starting as an English teacher, Malone later taught government and economics before serving as dean of students in his final year in 2003-2004.

It’d be no surprise to those in Newberg that Malone was also passionate and dedicated to athletics at Roosevelt, coaching four different sports, including all three sports seasons for many years. In addition to serving as head coach for track and field for 20 years, boys soccer for 16, head cross-country for six and boys golf for two, Malone also filled the role of assistant athletic director during the winter sports season for three years.

In his final year, Malone helped Roosevelt transition to a small-school model, which he also did for three years as an assistant principal after coming to Newberg in 2004. Malone then served as Blue School principal when NHS officially moved to small schools in 2007-2008 and will leave as it’s only principal as the school transitions back to a comprehensive model next shool year.

“The family we created in the Blue School I will forever be proud of,” Malone said. “I think we were known for not a lot of fanfare, telling each other what we thought, at the end of the day always getting our work done and doing what we thought was best for kids.”

When Newberg switched to a traditional leadership structure this past school year, Malone moved to a more operational role, both assisting new principal Mark Risen and the administrative team in the transition and filling a wide variety of roles as needed.

“So you’ve got Dan, who is so passionate about what the Blue School developed and built and the relationships there, and now you’re asking him to switch to a role where he can be Johnny on the spot and the answerer of all questions,” Burke said. “That was invaluable. It would have been a much more difficult transition this past year without not just his institutional memory, but how he does things and operates.”

And while no one could have fulfilled that role better, Malone missed being more in tune with students on a daily basis, which is part of what prompted his move to Roosevelt, where original Yellow School principal Filip Hristic in now the head principal.

“It’s kind of a cool bookend part of my career,” Malone said. “They’re building a brand new building on the same site. I’ve been through a couple of rebuilds and remodels, so I had some of that background. And I’ll be working with a guy who I really appreciate what he’s doing, his vision and what he want to do for kids.”

Burke, who is probably Malone’s closest friend in the building, joked that he won’t root for Roosevelt High School for at least a year as he works through his bitterness.

It will also be tough for Malone, who will miss all the people with whom he has forged relationships over the last decade. On the flip side, many of his former colleagues at Roosevelt are still there, making it feel like he’s trading one family for another.

“Newberg is a great community, great kids — very, very caring staff,” Malone said. “It’s a wonderful place and was a wonderful experience for me and my family. It’s bittersweet.”

written by: Seth Gordon