Assistant Principal Jason Meskis was named Co-Administrator of the Year for Region 13, which spans from Calabasas to San Luis Obispo, on Feb. 3.

Meskis serves as Oak Park High School’s Coordinator of Instruction, overseeing OPHS facilities and programs such as athletics, ASB and academics.

“[Meskis] has played a vital role in helping the students throughout this last year, which has been very trying for our student body and staff,” Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Stewart McGugan wrote in an email to district staff and administration.

Not only does Meskis oversee student programs, but he is also involved with the student body.

“With the students, [Mr. Meskis] is somebody they can go to, I truly believe that,” McGugan said. “I see that just with his personality and his background in surfing, his love of sports; he’s an eclectic person and I think the kids see that and they feel like they can go to him for anything and having someone like that at a high school during teenage years, that’s big.”

Along with his responsibilities as Assistant Principal for students with last names L-Z, Meskis also recently took over the Safety and Security Task Force for the district.

“For roughly 10 years, Jason has helped guide the best high school in the county and one of the best in the state,” McGugan wrote in an email.

McGugan, with the help of Assistant Principal Natalie Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jay Greenliner, Principal Kevin Buchanan, and teacher Kathy Bowman, put together the application for Meskis to be considered for the award.

“He’s approachable,” Bowman said. “He helps bring a sense of family to the Oak Park High School community and I think now, especially being so far away, that that sense of family still exists with him.”

Even from home, Meskis played a major role in helping Oak Park through the current public health crisis. When McGugan’s email regarding Meskis award was sent out to teachers and faculty, many sent out their thanks.

“What was almost as nice as getting the award was just everybody emailing to congratulate me and saying, you know, we love working with you and all those positive things that meant as much to me as getting an award,” Meskis said. “That was very nice.”