Principal Kevin Buchanan will leave Oak Park High School to join Los Gatos High School as the Principal effective July 1, 2021. This change was announced on March 5, on ParentSquare and StudentSquare by Superintendent Dr. Tony Knight, and again on StudentSquare and ParentSquare by Buchanan.

Buchanan served as OPHS Principal  for 11 years, and according to Knight, he has “made a significant impact in the key areas of teaching and learning, staff development, and student leadership.”

While Buchanan was Principal of OPHS, the school earned many awards, including two California Distinguished School Awards in 2013 and 2019, a California Gold Ribbon Award in 2015 and state recognition for physical fitness and health in 2019.

“Kevin was instrumental in embracing Stanford University’s Challenge Success program’s tenets by working with teachers and parents to expand opportunities for students, reduce stress, allow students to pursue their passions, and help increase student connectedness to the school,” Knight wrote in the ParentSquare blast on March 5.

According to Buchanan, LGHS and OPHS have similar communities. LGHS is facing similar challenges as OPHS, but OPHS is “a little bit further along with addressing some of the challenges.”

Even with the similar communities, there are many aspects of OPHS that Buchanan will miss.

“I’ll miss the sports, I’ll miss the drama kids, I’ll miss my eSports group because they keep winning matches. And I’ll miss the students a lot, because the students are the ones who make it exciting,” Buchanan said. “When you walk onto campus with 1,500 teenagers, you never really quite know what’s going to happen. The students keep it fresh and interesting. They keep us on our toes, and I think that’s what I’ll miss most.” 

Many students appreciate the work Buchanan has done during his time at OPHS.

“Mr. Buchanan made sure to prioritize the needs of the students, which I really appreciated. He has always shown that their best interest is in mind,” senior Amber Arquilavich said.

Faculty members share similar sentiments.

“Kevin Buchanan has moved our school forward in so many ways, with a kind and compassionate heart,” English Department Chair Kathy Bowman wrote. “Like many things in life, we won’t realize all that we had until it is gone.”