Rosemont Middle School welcomes Mike Antonovich as ‘Principal for the Day’

Schools across the Crescenta Valley and Glendale were treated to a cameo role change in administration on Thursday, March 6 as local politicians and dignitaries responded to the call to be a “Principal for the Day.”

One of the most popular politicians to make an appearance at a local school was L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who shared his words of wisdom with students and faculty at Rosemont Middle School.

“Read a lot and learn as much as you can so you can decide what you want to do and focus in on that,” Antonovich told a classroom filled with eighth grade U.S. history students.

Antonovich is no stranger to standing before a room filled with eager-eyed or fidgety students.

In his career, the Los Angeles native, who was first elected as county supervisor in 1980, was previously a history and government teacher in high schools and at Pepperdine University and Cal State Los Angeles. “Education and working with young people is very important to me,” Antonovich said.

Rosemont Middle School also is familiar to him.

Antonovich’s children have used the Rosemont Middle School sports fields for AYSO soccer practices, he told Nelly Kaartinen, an eighth-grade student who was allowed to interview the supervisor for the school’s newspaper between his visits to individual classrooms.

Antonovich said it was a privilege to be asked to be Rosement’s head administrator for even a few hours of the day.

And, in answer to a question from Kaartinen about what he thought of the school, Antonovich described Rosemont as being “very clean, with teachers who are very motivated and attentive.”

Antonovich spent about an hour talking with a group of teachers and other staff early Thursday morning, prior to the arrival of students.

Then he went from classroom to classroom, giving short talks, answering questions and sharing words of advice.

One thing he’d like to advise parents on, he said, is the importance of spending time at their children’s schools and getting to know the school faculty.

“Get acquainted with the teachers and offer them your support,” he said. “That helps them out and it’s important to be as involved as you can in your child’s education.”

Although it was his first time as Principal for the Day, Antonovich said he enjoys speaking to students at various schools in the region and being part of reading programs in some of the area elementary schools.

“He’s spoken before school children hundreds of times,” Rosemont Principal Sally Buckley said, adding that the school was fortunate to have Antonovich agree to visit for the day.

“There are special guest principals in all of the Glendale schools,” she said. “But we got lucky — we got Supervisor Antonovich.”