6 EDCAL May 27, 2019
DOOLAN
“I live my authentic
truth and I celebrate
other people living their
authentic truth. For me,
being transgender, that’s
just part of who I am.”
Continued from page 1
them really well.”
But to truly know the man, we must go
back to his days being raised as a woman.
Born in Berkeley, Doolan grew up in a
town that valued diversity. But it still took
time to navigate his path toward living an
authentic life.
“Sometimes I describe my life pre-tran-
sition like a skipping record,” Doolan said.
“I’d be going about my day and then I’d
interact with someone and they would
gender me as female. And I didn’t have the
language for it. I had never heard a record
play all the way through, metaphorically. I
just always had the skips in the record so I
didn’t realize what was possible to just be
in the flow.”
Finding that flow would take some
time. Doolan points out he got a later start
than some kids today. After graduating
college at Humboldt State University, he
started trying out a new pronoun.
“It just felt really good when people
would call me ‘he,’” Doolan said. “I had
long hair. I looked very feminine in vari-
ous ways. But when people called me ‘he,’
I would smile and I would just feel really
good. And they would start to see me
differently. And there’d be like a moment
where they would flip. And they’d be like,
‘Oh. I get you now.’”
It was one thing coming out to friends
and family. But coming out to your school
community in a small town? That was
unchartered territory.
“I don’t know if I had an expectation
of what it would feel like to transition or
what it would be like,” Doolan said. “I
just knew that it was something I need-
Lark Doolan
Superintendent-Principal,
Peninsula Union School District
Superintendent-Principal Lark Doolan eats lunch with students in the cafeteria. He says transitioning to living
as a man was “much smoother” than anticipated thanks to his students and staff.
ed to do. It was a daunting thing to take
on. Especially as a superintendent, it just
seemed like there was a lot to lose. But the
danger of being outed was also stressful. I
live just a few miles away from the school
and I’m fully out in that town. And then
being at work and not being out, it wasn’t a
sustainable model.”
In May 2017, Doolan told his staff, stu-
dents and school board at Peninsula Union
School District. In doing so, he became
the first openly transgender public school
superintendent in the country.
“It’s just been far more amazing than
I could have imagined,” Doolan said. “I
grew a lot as a person through my tran-
sition process. I learned a lot. I’m able to
be myself more fully. I’m able to express
myself more clearly. And that makes me a
better educator.”
More Online
Watch the ACSA Storytellers feature
video on Lark Doolan starting June 4.
ACSA storyteller Michael Kelly also sat
down with Doolan for an episode of the
ACSA Speaker Series video podcast.
That interview will be available starting
June 11. www.acsa.org
Doolan admits the transition was “much
smoother” than he anticipated, thanks in
large part to the reaction from his staff and
students.
“I think Principal Doolan has addressed
it in a good way,” said longtime Peninsula
School teacher Linda Stewart. “It wasn’t a
‘head-to-head.’ It was ‘come meet me.’”
That’s not to say everything was per-
fect. The summer after Doolan’s transition,
eight students left the school without any
explanation, a big number given the small
district. But 14 new students enrolled in
the fall. Through it all, Doolan says he
never regretted his decision to come out.
“I’m happy to be transgender,” he said.
“The fact that I was raised and socialized
to be a woman makes me a better man.
I live my authentic truth and I celebrate
other people living their authentic truth.
For me, being transgender, that’s just part
of who I am.”
Doolan knows there will be questions.
He knows some people will still not under-
stand. But he’s OK with that because he is
finally living life as his truest self.
“Acknowledging that you don’t under-
stand is the beginning of learning,” Doolan
said. “For me, being transgender, it’s just
about living my best life. I made a com-
mitment a long time ago to be of service.
And to live a life of service. And I find that
my capacity to be of service to my fellow
humans is increased when I’m living as a
guy. And so this is my path.”
Paid Advertisement
Transitions
Isaac Huang will assume the
position of principal at Madroña
Elementary School in the Conejo Valley
Unified School District, starting on
July 1, 2019. The official announce-
ment was made at the District Board of
Education Meeting on May 7.
Huang has extensive experience both
as a teacher and as an assistant principal
over the past 17 years. He started his
career teaching elementary students for
nine years and then became a Teacher
on Special Assignment, mentoring
teachers and monitoring the instruc-
tional needs of students.
Huang has worked at Pasadena
Unified School District, Chino Valley
Unified School District and Burbank
Unified School District — the latter
two where he most recently served the
past seven years as assistant principal.
Huang holds a Doctor of Education
degree from USC, a Master of Arts
degree in Education Administration
from California State University, Los
Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Child Development from California
State University, Northridge.
He also holds a California
Administrative Multiple Subject Clear
Credential.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr.
Isaac Huang onboard as the new princi-
pal at Madroña Elementary,” said Mark
McLaughlin, superintendent of the
Conejo Valley Unified School District.
“Dr. Huang’s vast experience as a public
education leader will be a valuable asset
to Madroña and the CVUSD commu-
nity.”
PARTNER
Continued from page 1
Later this year, Stifel will be partnering
with ACSA as a sponsor of the Excellence
through Equity Conference in Napa on
Sept. 19-20. The conference is designed
specifically to foster relationships and
build a strong network of support for those
doing equity work in Solano County. It
will also provide the tools needed to create
innovative, inclusive and equitable path-
ways for learning in schools.
Giving back to the community
Our support for education extends
beyond the work we do with school dis-
tricts across the state. It is also important
for us to assist our clients in times of need
such as the recent wildfires that affected
various areas of the state. In response to
the Camp Fire and Carr Fire, Stifel sup-
ported victims by donating $20,000 to the
Butte County Schools Relief Fund of the
North Valley Community Foundation and
$25,000 to the Educators Fire Fund of the
United Way of Northern California.
We also are supporters of the students
attending K-12 school districts by spon-
soring Stifel’s Fabric of Society schol-
arship program. The Fabric of Society
Scholarship Program began in California
in 2009 with $2,000 scholarships awarded
to graduating seniors from 20 public high
schools in California. The program now
awards scholarships to 50 high school
seniors across the United States each year,
including 15 California students in 2019.
The 2019 winners include students from
Calistoga JUSD, Hesperia USD, Los
Angeles USD, Oakland USD, Paramont
USD, Ripon USD, San Francisco USD,
San Jacinto USD, Shasta UHSD, Twin
Rivers USD and Val Verde USD.
Learn more at www.acsa.org/stifel.