Who’s the new guy?
Photo Credit: Doug Murray/Warrior Post
Arlington ISD superintendent Jerry McCullough greets new Martin assistant principal Jim Voronin at the June 17 school board meeting.
June 16, 2010 • Kate Black/Ellie Hozhabri, Online Editor/Editor-in-Chief
Filed under News, Top Stories
There’s a new big man on campus. 300 pounds. 6 feet, 3 inches. But he’s not a wrestling coach. Jim Voronin is our new assistant principal.
Voronin was appointed to his position and approved at the June 17 AISD School Board meeting. As of next school year, he will take the position of Lisa Van Gemert, who is returning to teaching at Lamar High School.
“I am happy to serve the wonderful students at Martin High School,” Voronin said. “I look forward to this fantastic opportunity.”
His various achievements that qualify him for this position were important aspects in his selection by a committee of Martin faculty and staff. He’s a 1987 Texas Tech alumnus with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and he received a Master’s degree in Education at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1999.
“He was chosen for his experience and his personality,” assistant principal and selection committee member Luann Kennedy said. “It’s not just how he works with the kids. We also looked at how he would work with the whole team.”
Previously, Voronin was employed as an interim assistant principal in El Paso ISD and as an assistant principal in DeSoto and Kennedale school districts. As soon as he moved to Arlington in 2002, he began hearing many positive remarks about Martin.
“You always see people around town with Martin shirts, pants and even socks,” Voronin said. “There’s a lot of school pride.”
Although he will be new to campus, there are some familiar faces. He met assistant principal Tommy Scott at LA Fitness, assistant principal Juan Villarreal at Albertson’s and principal Melinda Reeves at superintendent classes.
“I actually knew Richard Ellis, the history teacher, since 2002 when we worked together in DeSoto ISD,” Voronin said.
As far as his own schooling went, Voronin generally followed the rules and only played an occasional prank.
“I was never sent to my assistant principal because I knew what the consequences would be when I got home,” Voronin said. “However, one time we did push the superintendent’s truck behind the football stadium to hide it from him.”
Voronin has participated in powerlifting for close to 20 years. He became very successful, winning many awards and titles, including placing second six times in worldwide competition and was senior national champion four times.
“But I’ve lost 90 pounds since then,” Voronin said.
Some of the differences Voronin is adjusting to coming from Kennedale are that high school students there had two lunches as opposed to one. The fine for cell phones being taken up was only $10, and the phones were allowed to be visible as long as they were turned off. A more significant difference is that in his last school, students were not mandated to wear IDs, but were only required to produce them if asked.
“But that was a disadvantage,” Voronin said. “Anyone who looked young enough could just walk in. It’s not as safe.”
When dealing with discipline, Voronin said he can keep control of his students calmly. He may look intimidating, but he is known to be relaxed and straightforward, not stressing easily over small things.
“I don’t make idle threats that I can’t keep,” Voronin said. “I always follow through.”
Voronin has a unique idea on how students should behave. He promotes the “Platinum Rule” as the most important value.
“Treat others better than you would like to be treated,” Voronin said. “It’s higher than the Golden Rule.”
As he becomes part of this community, he aims toward having a positive impact on the school. Voronin’s specific goals for Martin are to help more students to succeed and to increase the graduation rate.
“I am elated to be a part of the Martin family and tradition,” Voronin said. “I’ve been rejuvenated.”
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Woooow, what a great story for a short deadline
Really cool experience. Thanks Reg!
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Great story guys!! Thank you for keeping us updated in the summer.
Mrs. V
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Way to go guys!! It was nice getting the scoop and being able to share the news with family and friends. Keep up the great work!
Mrs. Meyer
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Outstanding work! Thanks for the opportunity to watch you work last night. I appreciate your professionalism and great product.
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Great scoop gang! You beat everyone to the story (both local papers and even CNN). Thank you for keeping us informed with what is happening at Martin. I’m looking forward to The Warrior Post’s next post.
-reg (the photo one)
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I really enjoyed reading this article about our new assistant principal. The information was upbeat and timely. Good job.
BTW – the paper looks great online. I hope there are more news stories throughout the summer. It keeps me up-to-date.
Thanks again.
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Such a great job girls! I wish this guy would have come my senior year, he sounds awesome. Keep it up, Warrior Post!
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Thanks to all of you for the great support! We’ll miss you Clif!
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Great job, Warrior Post! What a great welcome to a man who will be a terrific addition to MHS.
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Hey, thanks for the great article and information on our new AP!!! It was a good read and made me look forward to meeting him and working with him.
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Fantastic story about a fantastic man. We are blessed to have Jim on board. You guys are gonna love him and he’s really a teddy bear. Don’t be afraid to approach him. He is one of the calmest, most sincere, and honest AP’s I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. Another great addition to our Martin family. GOOOOOO Jim.
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Thanks for the news story on our incoming AP! It was a surprise to see summer news from our own students; and who knows better?!
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As someone who has worked with Jim in two school districts – I see nothing but positive things to come as he will be a fantastic addition to the campus and AISD as a whole. Y’all are in great hands…even after all these years, he is a great mentor from afar!
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