Students buzzing with anticipation, awaiting the final confrontation between the two rivals. Long lines to buy tickets a week in advance. Designing T-shirts symbolizing each student’s school spirit and confidence in the Sea King Pride.

The forty-eigth annual Battle of the Bay football game stirs the competitiveness between Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor while also allows heightened spirit to spread throughout the school.

From teachers assigning minimum homework on the night of the game to football players having longer practices, Battle of the Bay is a tradition that is embedded in the culture of our school and is therefore, an event that can be recognized as a union of students, faculty members, parents, and community members who enjoy a sports game between rival schools.

“Seniors are definitely excited because it’s their last time to participate in Battle of the Bay,” stated senior Madeline Mains.

Students in general are excited for the annual rivalry game. If anyone need proof of this, he or she could just glance at the ticket lines the week of the game.

Student buzz surrounding Battle of the Bay has been phenomenal. Daily announcements, posters, newspaper articles documenting the event, teachers promoting attendance, the hype regarding Battle of the Bay models increased school spirit, school unity, and school pride.

On Thursday, September 24, the day of the game, the Battle of the Bay rally brings together freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors to demonstrate school spirit and support our hardworking football players.

Enthusiastic students in ASB at the Battle of the Bay rally (from left to right), Anara Askar, Emma Kaye, Sarah Hostetller, and Ariana Naaseh. (Picture taken by Melanie De Arakal)

The rally was kicked off by Chloe Harder, Benny Townsend, and Parker Seaman, clearly displaying their CdM school spirit. A video illustrating CdM’s confidence in beating Newport Harbor was shown while our football team performed a rap to the student body.

CdM’s new principal, Tim Bryan, made a debut in playing a game with Mr. Selby and later giving words of confidence and wisdom to the students.

The Battle of the Bay rally was a monumental display of school and spirit and pride in what CdM can accomplish as a school and a unified student body.

The excitement displayed around school this week and at the rally indicate increased levels of Sea King Pride and confidence in our students.

Written by Donna Etemadi

The same goes for Tim Bryan, the newly appointed principal of CdM. Having 32 years of experience as an educator and administrator, including 23 in the Diamond Bar District, Bryan discusses his favorite aspects of his career.

Tim Bryan during our interview.

“The best part of my career has always been building things… it’s really fun to build things up. You know, you start and put a bunch of like-minded folks together; everybody gets on the same page and you’re all working towards a common goal, and you build programs.”

Indeed, for Bryan, the chance to be a principal will be just another way to help the students.  As a principal, he will continue to “support a bunch of folks and their efforts to build programs and make things better for students.”

Two words which define Bryan’s ideas about being an administrator more than any other would be prudence and honesty. Bryan made it clear that he would “never pass judgement on [other] people based on what other people tell me about them.”

Bryan also intends to be as transparent as possible, wanting for students not to attempt to piece together some sort of agenda, but rather, to trust that, as he said it, “I am who I say I am.” The new principal expands on this saying that “if everyone comes from a posture of good will… it makes it really easy to work through difficulty.”

Dr. Gloria Henderson, a teacher at CdM who worked with Bryan at Diamond Bar, echoed the new principal’s words in describing him as “a nice guy… he always has his door open.”

Before he gets the chance to employ these ideas, however, Bryan must first become familiar with the school.

Having just arrived at the school, Bryan made it clear that he has “no plans for sweeping change” until he at least gets to know the school. It may be just as important that the school gets to know him. Bryan is very much aware of the fact that very few of the students actually know what their new principal looks like. However, Bryan has made it his duty to get to know the school, students, and faculty. What he has been discovering made it clear to him about what makes CdM so special.

Bryan said, ”I’ve been thinking about this for a while… what is it that makes the school so great… [I think that] the strength of the school comes from the fact that you guys, teachers and parents in the community, want this school to be exceptional.”

But it’s not just the learning that makes Bryan so pleased with this school. The students have charmed the new principal with events such as the root beer party on the inaugural day of school, which Bryan described as “harmless fun”. He also observed “a lot of people walking around smiling, and you know that things are going well when you see a lot of people smiling.”

Ultimately, for Bryan, it all comes back to the students.

“The most important to believe is that what I want is for as many students as possible to be as successful as they can. What we want here is for every student here to be as successful here as they want to be,” said Bryan. “Watch what I do, if you have questions ask me, [and] if we have ideas lets share them.”

Co-Written by Cahill Maffei and Petersen Walrod