As the 2014-2015 school year began, Paint Branch High School students, particularly the class of 2015, welcomed a new assistant principal, Mr. Kevin Yates.

Mr. Yates grew up locally in Olney, where he attended Sherwood High School bef
ore attending Towson University. It is easy to say that Mr. Yates has “worked his way up” to this newly acquired leadership position, as he began his teaching career twenty years ago, in 1994, as an elementary school teacher at Olney Elementary School. Between then and now, Mr. Yates has moved around quite frequently, from teaching at middle schools in Germantown and Rockville to returning to his hometown high school, Sherwood, in 2004.

He then took a long break from teaching, but not education, as he became a Content Specialist for MCPS from 2008-2012.

As a Content Specialist, Mr. Yates “wrote curriculum and county exams for MCPS Social Studies classes.”

Yearning to get back into school-based work, he then found a role as the Assistant School Administrator at Blake High School in 2013 for three years before applying for, and obtaining, the open position of Assistant Principal at Paint Branch.

As to why he chose Paint Branch, Mr. Yates speaks of his appreciation for the strong community, staff, and academic program at Paint Branch. He specifically mentioned his admiration for Principal Dr. Rogers, a person he calls “a strong, instructional leader.” He also noted that he jumped at the opportunity to work with Dr. Rogers and the rest of the Paint Branch staff in the “new, beautiful building.”

Moving to Paint Branch seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Mr. Yates; an upgraded leadership position in a brand new building with a strong new leader. “I saw that the position opened when Mr. Monteleone was leaving, so I applied, and I got the job,” he says.

An avid runner, Mr. Yates trains for and competes in marathons regularly, including the 2013 Boston Marathon, in which he completed the twenty-six mile race in an impressive two hours and fifty minutes, around five minutes short of his personal best.

Of course, no mention of the 2013 Boston Marathon could come without thought of the two bombs that exploded near the finish line, killing three people and injuring almost three hundred. Mr. Yates was a near-witness of the bombings, as he was celebrating his completion of the race with friends at a restaurant just three blocks away from the finish line. “It was chaos,” said Mr. Yates. “The city was just totally changed. In a heartbeat, there was Secret Service, National Guard; it was crazy.”

Mr. Yates returned to run the race again in 2014 – something he was proud to do and something he saw in a whole new light – calling the event “bigger and more exciting than ever before.” Reflecting on his marathon running and – especially this particular race – Mr. Yates says, “My theory is, as long as I’m able to run the Boston Marathon, I will.”

It is clear that running is a significant part of Mr. Yates’ life, and you may even see him running around Burtonsville, as students have spotted him during his daily run just off Paint Branch grounds, after school hours.

Other than running, Mr. Yates spends much of his time as a “soccer dad.” When he’s not working or running, Mr. Yates says, “I spend a lot of time at watching soccer at my kids’ games.” In fact, all three of his children are passionate soccer players, and two of his daughters play for Sherwood High School.

As for his role as assistant principal and administrator for the class of 2015, he says, “My goal is to really help as many kids graduate as possible. I strive to work with the kids on the fence of graduation and hope to help as many of them as possible.” His position includes the roles of supervising and monitoring the progress of the PBHS Senior Class and working with the senior class sponsors, Ms. Street and Ms. Wright.

Mr. Yates is especially looking forward to graduation this year, as he hopes to help as many students walk across the stage as he possibly can. As the new Assistant Principal, Mr. Yates simply wants to make sure that he is doing the best job possible for the Paint Branch community, providing as much support for students and teachers as is needed.