When CHS students came back from winter break, a noticeable difference was present in the administration. Doug McCasey, Assistant Principal since 2014, has left his position at CHS for an identical one at Citrus Valley High School in Redlands, California.
While McCasey has greatly enjoyed his time here at CHS, his decision to leave ultimately came down to his exhausting commute. As he lives near Riverside, it took him up to an hour and half just to get home. When the closer job opportunity became available, McCasey could not ignore its convenience.
After applying and hearing back, McCasey decided to take the job. The rest of the staff was informed on December 15, 2017, just a few days after the decision had been made.
“[When I found out he was leaving,] I was really sad,” said receptionist Arcie Hadfield. “I really liked him. He was good to us in the office and the staff; we never had an issue with him. He was always fair. Of course, he had a dry sense of humor, but we loved it.”
The duties of this new job are quite similar to McCasey’s previous position. Citrus Valley is similar in size to CHS, and McCasey will continue working in disciplinary action. As Citrus Valley High’s administration splits disciplinary tasks up by grade level, McCasey will be primarily responsible for freshmen and seniors. At CHS, McCasey was also in charge of overseeing the custodians and upkeep of the facilities by managing facility use forms and work orders. He expects to have similar responsibilities at Citrus Valley. Finally, McCasey will continue to help manage the AP program at his new school as he has done here.
“While AP teachers are the ones who teach the content, Mr. McCasey was instrumental in the organization of AP testing,” said AP teacher Ryan Easton. “His efforts will definitely be missed.”
When he reflects on his time at CHS, McCasey is appreciative of the time he has spent here and the friendships he has made. The high quality of the CHS administrative team, in particular, made a strong impact on him.
“It’s been great working with our admin team, especially Ms. Dehmer, because we’re both in Student Services,” said McCasey. “You know, I’ve seen admin teams in the past that have not collaborated real well in terms of helping each other with discipline, and it couldn’t be any better than the system we had.”
Additionally, McCasey is very impressed with the student body of CHS as well as the memorable activities. In his time here, he has enjoyed supervising the dances, the athletic events, and especially the rallies.
“The rallies are great here, probably the best I’ve seen,” said McCasey. “It’ll be interesting to see how the next school compares. […] I was at pretty much all the football games and really enjoyed getting involved with different programs here.”
The former vice principal has left a lasting impression on the students as well.
“We’re all going to miss Mr. McCasey,” senior Tommy Viat said. “He was a big part of this school. He was a strict guy, you know; he kept us all in line. I hope he does well at his new school.”
As McCasey leaves to closer to home, he will fondly remember his time at CHS. From the impressive staff to the impressive student activities, his experience here will not easily be forgotten.