Hillview Middle School Principal Mike Melton to retire Schools & Kids, posted by Editor, The Almanac Online, on Jan 12, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Mike Melton, who has been principal of Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park since July 2009, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire effective June 30, 2012.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, January 12, 2012, 11:54 AM
Posted by Jennifer Bestor, a resident of the Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park neighborhood, on Jan 12, 2012 at 12:21 pm
I believe history will show that Mike served a valuable role bridging two eras in Hillview's history. His academy work exploring how Hillview can be an effective, but very populous school, yet maintain a focus on individual children, may prove invaluable. Three years of construction cannot have been easy -- both overseeing the construction and running a school on half the physical space. Finally, in bridging the Mike Moore/Ken Ranella period with the new regime, I think he's taken a lot of unavoidable lumps gracefully.
My own favorite memories of Mike will be watching him chatting with a group of kids outside dances, while keeping an eye out for escapees (not allowed) or outsiders (also not allowed). He reminded me of the very best kind of beat cop -- a safe haven.