Principal named for new school
Melanie Hagman appointed as Castaic High’s founding leader
Hart High School Assistant Principal Melanie Hagman is slated to be Castaic High School’s founding principal.
The William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board finalized the decision at its board meeting Wednesday.
“We’ve all looked forward to Castaic High School for many years,” Governing Board President Steve Sturgeon said at Wednesday’s meeting. “When this school opens up, facilitywise, it’s going to be outstanding, and you’re going to be proud of it.”
Hagman was selected after an in-depth search from both inside and outside the Hart district.
“I’m honored to be named principal of Castaic High School, and I look forward to getting to know the families of the Castaic community,” Hagman said. “I want to make our school something that they are proud of with unique programs that meet the needs of all of our students.”
Hagman began her teaching career in 1996 at Byrd Middle
School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She then joined Granada Hills Charter High School as a counselor in 2011.
In 2011, Hagman joined the Hart district as an assistant principal where she has remained for the past seven years.
Hagman holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, two master’s degrees from California State University, Los Angeles, as well as teaching, pupil personnel services and administrative credentials.
As the head of the Hart district’s comprehensive high school, Hagman will work with the district’s Governing Board and Superintendent’s Cabinet to form the high school’s programs, choose the school colors and mascot, determine the bell schedule and complete other tasks to get the high school off the ground.
“In this case, opening up a new school is a challenge in a variety of ways,” Sturgeon told The Signal Tuesday. “Rather than taking on the principal-ship of an existing campus, everything is new to the campus and new to the families.”
The new high school campus, located at the west end of Sloan Canyon Road where it meets Romero Canyon Road, is expected to open to its first freshman class in fall 2019.
The 200-acre site will house 58 acres of campus facilities and infrastructure that include a Performing Arts Center, a STEM building, Career Technical Education classrooms and athletic facilities like a football field, track, soccer field, baseball field and softball field.
The high school will also have a focus on career readiness programs and concurrent enrollment programs where students take both college and high school classes.