Erik Olah
Olah became an assistant principal at Gunn High School this school year and is responsible for athletics, the Multi-Tiered System of Supports, the English department, career-technical education, world languages and student activities. Prior to Gunn High School, Olah was a biology teacher at Palo Alto High School for 13 years and an assistant principal there for three years.
For Olah, progressing from teacher to assistant principal was a decision fueled by his experience in leadership, he said. As an instructional lead for the science department and the writer of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Reporter at Paly, Olah was given a broader view of the school in action, he said. He enjoyed working with teachers and helping them grow, a passion that pushed him to take on the challenge of an administrative position, he said.
“I don’t want [students] to be scared to talk to an admin. I want to be approachable,” Olah said. “I want them to feel like they can come talk to me about whatever they want. I’m here to help them work through any problems or situations that they may have.”
While many parts of Olah’s roles carried over from his time at Paly, he has new responsibilities, including overseeing student activities, athletics and the English department.
Olah has transferred one of his policy changes from Paly: requiring a form for an outside-of-school or athletic event to be submitted one day in advance instead of three days.
As a Gunn graduate, Gunn has always been a special place for Olah. He remembers that his biology teacher, Mrs. Ballard sparked his interest in teaching.
“I envision [Gunn] as a place where students feel like they are given opportunities to find their passions,” Olah said. “[They] are motivated to do their best and pushed in the right way to work to do their best to be successful in those classes.”
Kat Catalano
Kat Catalano, who was a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) teacher for three years at Gunn High School, joined the admin board as an assistant principal this school year. Catalano oversees science, special education, the Title IX program, the student equity committee, some events during PRIME and Study Hall, and continues to support the Social and Emotional Literacy Functioning program. As the SEL coordinator role intersects with many other sectors within Gunn, switching to a leadership position was a natural decision for Catalano.
Before becoming SEL coordinator, Catalano was a science teacher at three different schools in Dallas and worked as a biology and chemistry teacher at Gunn; she believes that working as a teacher helps her fulfill her goals of service.
For Catalano, the largest difference between working as a coordinator and an assistant principal is her responsibilities. According to Catalano, grasping the special education program from an insider standpoint isn’t the same as a general education stance.
Similar to assistant principal Olah, Catalano, along with a majority of the admin team, plan to visit each teacher’s classroom at least four times throughout the school year.
“I feel really strongly about getting in the classroom, seeing what students are doing, what they’re learning about and how they’re working with peers,” Catalano said. “I think if you want to support a system and help it grow, you have to see how it works on that day-to-day level.”
While she welcomes students to walk in, Catalano hopes that students will schedule meetings with her through Google Calendar.
Specifically, Catalano is in favor of the new integration of evidence-based grading. As a former chemistry teacher, she believes that this new system spurs independent learning because it sets the expectations and requires self-evaluation to help students realize the gaps in their skills.
“I want our students to leave Gunn with the self-confidence of ‘I can do anything, and I can take on anything in whatever field,’” Catalano said. “[Falling down is] gonna happen, but I know that [our students] can get back up.”
