THE JOB
UP HIGH Hoover High School principal Jason Babineau ’ 07 makes a point of interacting with students every day on their lunch hour .
SCHOOLING THE SYSTEM
Disrupting generations of educational inequities .
BY RACHEL MCNELLIS ’ 18
Teacher . Coach . Advocate . Counselor . Occasional custodian . It ’ s all in a day ’ s work for Jason Babineau ’ 07 , a passionate educator and 33-year-old principal of San Diego ’ s Hoover High School . Standing 6-foot-5 , it ’ s hard to miss him , and even harder to keep up with him .
“ I ’ m so impressed with these students ,” he says , barely fitting into a cafeteria bench for an interview just a few minutes before the lunchroom fills . “ Their paths , their stories , the challenges they ’ re working through — these are extremely courageous kids , and every single one of them needs a champion . That ’ s why I got into education — to be that person .”
For all his dedication and swift rise to leading Hoover High , Babineau took a roundabout path into education . He traces it back to his very first class at UC San Diego , when the American history major took a prerequisite introductory sociology course taught by Rebecca Klatch . The class opened his eyes to new perspectives , teaching him about the many kinds of adversities that different groups of people face . “ The class blew my mind ,” he says . “ The sociological frame of mind sparked my interest in society and how we can have a positive impact on it .”
But what eventually sealed his path was a volunteer internship at The Preuss School UC San Diego , where he worked as a teacher ’ s aide , providing first- generation college-bound students with the tools and support vital for success . “ It didn ’ t make sense to me why all high school students didn ’ t have such opportunities . That experience really caused me to ask , ‘ What can I do to make sure that all students have the opportunities that they deserve ?’”
Babineau saw there were clear gaps within the education system , and when neglected , these gaps negatively impact not just students , but entire communities and the generations of families within them . The scale of these observations lit a fire inside of him , and he recognized education as the greatest social equalizer , deciding at that point to work to improve our educational system and help provide opportunity and equity for disadvantaged youth .
“ It begins with a mentality ,” he says .
“ The belief that all kids have the potential to succeed , regardless of circumstance . And this mentality starts with educators — we need the right people who believe this , and who then can push students with these expectations , so the students believe it too .”
It ’ s a philosophy that has been developed and honed since his first teaching position at Mt . Miguel High School , a public school in east San Diego County . At age 23 , Babineau found his rhythm teaching subjects ranging from math to physical education and , ultimately , teacher education . But perhaps more importantly , he saw the power of truly connecting with students , ensuring they knew someone was on their side and believed in them . “ At Mt . Miguel , I learned that if we do just three things — respect kids , love kids and have high expectations for kids — they can do anything ,” he says . It ’ s an ideology he ’ s carried with him throughout his path to principal . “ That was an essential component when I brought my views and vision to the staff at Hoover ,” he says . “ Love , respect and high expectations — if we do those three things , we can make great things happen for kids .”
Babineau believes those three things can bring change and positively shift the
40 TRITON | FALL 2018