Patrick Hambright

Patrick's Interrogation

We, Kohl 8th graders, had a Zoom meeting with Kohl’s new principal. We called the session Patrick’s Interrogation. We all know Patrick is a different kind of teacher; he would not only be your teacher, but he would be just like another friend. Patrick is a teacher that has made school fun and exciting. He may be the principal now, but he will never stop teaching the kids at Kohl. He cares so much about the kids. He gave them all the nickname DONKEYS; and an even better name was one for his class, the D1 Donks. He’s always been able to joke around with the students; even the ones that are no longer at Kohl. Now that he is Kohl’s new principal, we thought the Kohl Community would like to get to know Patrick a little better.

Patrick attended Stockton Unified Schools. When he was a sixth-grader, he was placed in Bud West’s class. It's crazy to think that Patrick’s 6th-grade teacher would become his boss, and now Patrick took Bud’s position as Kohl's new principal! Patrick feels honored that he has the opportunity to take Bud’s old position. He is thrilled to pick up where Bud left off, leading Kohl’s students to a brighter future.  Patrick attended Hamilton, and Stagg and then moved on to become a Slug; a Banana Slug at the University of California. Patrick is happy he became a teacher. He mentioned that when he was growing up, he liked working with kids. He also revealed that it’s another excuse to act like a kid.

When Patrick was teaching at Holt, he received a phone call from Bud. Bud asked if he wanted to interview for a position at Kohl. Bud had Patrick check out Kohl.  Patrick was doing project-based activities at Holt because Holt’s books were from 1954. Patrick believes John Niemi had a part in getting him an interview. Patrick commented that he interviewed terribly, but did get the job. He also said that Bud was his most memorable teacher as a kid and he was excited to work for Bud.

Patrick is a dedicated teacher and principal. He is a kind, cool and humorous person by nature. Don’t let his big title of principal shake you. Patrick sees being principal as a privilege to work with the students, teachers, and parents alike, and he wanted to be a principal for that reason. Patrick let his students' imagination run wild, letting them create songs, scary tales, and amazing art pieces made out of recycled materials. Patrick is someone with a big imagination; if Patrick had many amazing ideas and plans when he was a teacher, we can’t imagine what he has in store for Kohl, now that he is principal. Many of us may know Patrick as a friend or a teacher, but we are all glad to know Patrick as Kohl's new principal.