For new San Clemente High School principal Dr. Brad Baker, coming home is the culmination of his journey as an educator and administrator. For the tight-knit Triton community, having one of their own lead the school has special meaning.
Baker has occupied nearly every role possible at San Clemente- student, athlete, campus supervisor, teacher, coach, assistant principal, parent. There is little on the SCHS campus that he is not familiar with. He met his wife at a pep rally and proposed to her at a banquet. His son is a 2024 graduate and his daughter is now a sophomore.
“I am most excited to serve a community that helped shape me,” Baker declared about returning to San Clemente for the first time in nearly a decade. “San Clemente has really rich traditions and a generational legacy. There is a unique culture in this town, we really embrace our own and people have told me that they really appreciate having someone who knows this community in this position. That is truly humbling and not something I take for granted.”
Baker went through San Clemente schools starting in third grade, matriculating from Concordia to Shorecliffs to SCHS. He was the captain of the football team and when he graduated in 1996, his football coach, Triton Athletic Director John Hamro, told him he was always welcome back. After playing football at Azusa Pacific University and in Europe, Baker took him up on that offer, returning to campus as a campus supervisor and coach.
“I came back to become a teacher and head football coach eventually,” Baker said. “One of my mentors mentioned an administrative Master’s program that the District offered, and as I pursued that, I really took an interest in organizational culture and leadership. I realized I could have an impact beyond the classroom or the football field.”
The path to principal was not a natural one for Baker, who admits he had to work hard in high school to achieve and really found his stride after he graduated. He worked throughout the District as a teacher and assistant principal before coming back to San Clemente as an AP under his predecessor Chris Carter. After a few years, he felt ready to take on a principal assignment and went back to his middle school alma mater Shorecliffs.
Baker’s approach to leadership is to act in service and lift others up around him. He wants to be a vibrant, visible part of the San Clemente campus. Someone that students and staff alike feel comfortable approaching to share an idea or ask for help. He plans to broaden his student advisory committee and solicit feedback from a wide range of students as often as possible.
“I used to think leading was making people follow you. A great leader means people will follow you regardless of the title,” Baker said. “I’m always striving to make whatever situation I am in better, treating people the way they want to be treated.”
With an appreciation for how his experience at San Clemente helped shape his future, Baker wants to enable his staff to do the same for all Triton students moving forward.
“I believe in a growth mindset. Our goal as educators is to project a positive future for our students, not predict it,” Baker said. “We should project what they are capable of achieving with encouragement and support. It could come after they graduate, but hopefully we helped enable that. I want to model that type of connection with students and celebrate when we see it with other staff.”
“I want to help find authentic success for every student, every day,” Baker continued. “That doesn’t mean each student is going to love or excel at everything that they do each day at school. That’s not realistic. There are going to be struggles, and that’s fine. I don’t want any student to leave here feeling that no one saw them or valued them or gave them positive feedback somewhere along the way.”
Brad Baker was going to be a part of the San Clemente community regardless of where his career path led him. He deeply identifies with the values of the community and how it helped shape him. As principal of San Clemente High School, Tritons past and present will benefit from his leadership and passion.
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