Mariners selects new head of school

COSTA MESA — Bob Sladek, a former principal and associate pastor, is the new head of school at Mariners Christian School.

During the summer, after a nearly year-long search, the board of directors at Mariners Christian chose the former principal of Mission Hills Christian School and associate pastor of Mission Hills Community Church to lead the Costa Mesa campus this academic year. The Mission Hills church and its school are in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Sladek took over in July from Todd Perkins, who led the campus during the 2009-2010 year as the interim head of school.

On Wednesday, Sladek said his vision for the school is for it to become “the premier Christian school in Orange County that really serves spiritual and academic needs of children, family and faculty … and this is done by way of preparing the students phenomenally well in academics and phenomenally well in spirituality so that the kids can go on in life and in high school with the means to do whatever God wills for them.”

Sladek was interviewed along with several other applicants for the position, which requires him to oversee all of Mariners’ academic and administrative departments and 643 students from junior kindergarten through eighth grade.

Sladek received his bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University, his master’s in education from Oral Roberts University, and has spent the past 15 years serving in various teaching and administrative positions in Christian education.

Sladek credits his dual identity as a pastor and a principal for giving him the skills and resources necessary to lead Mariners.

Describing himself as something of a “visionary,” Sladek also said he’s “a global thinker — it’s about the big picture, where we are meant to be and how to get there.”