FRESH BREW FOR MHS

Last Monday, September 16, Mark Brewer was hired as principal at the Mammoth High School – the third principal current seniors have known during their high school careers.

Although he is new to Mammoth Lakes, Brewer hopes his hiring will mark the end of the recent administrative changes, aiming for stability in the school’s leadership. He plans to stay in this role for at least four years.

“I want to stay here,” he told me eagerly, smiling. “I want to be in this community and do good work here.”

I interviewed Brewer at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, just under two hours after the first bell rang, signaling the start of “Zero Period.”

Notebook in hand, I sat in a plastic slatted classroom chair in his mostly bare office. He kept the door open, offering a nonverbal invitation for students to come in and say hello.

It was his seventh day on the job, and it was a minimum day, meaning students were released early so he could discuss his vision for the district with the staff.

“I don’t have any silver bullet or magic plans,” he said. “I’ve got thoughts and ideas and will contribute when asked, but it’s important for me to be asked rather than to tell people what I think.”

Brewer, who found the principal position through an online job listing, was drawn to Mammoth because of its small size (under 400 students) and its resemblance to his hometown of Susanville.

“I was looking to be in a small community again, where it’s less hectic and has a different pace of life,” he said. “And I enjoy fly fishing and skiing.”

Brewer earned his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo and then pursued his graduate degree at the University of Colorado. After graduating, he spent over two decades in education in Colorado, focusing on science education.

He retired early in Colorado after purchasing Social Security credits early in his career, he said. Still wanting to work, he moved back to California to remain eligible as an educator.

Most recently, he served as principal in the Amador County Unified School District, a position he began in April 2023. The district planned to consolidate high schools, and Brewer was hired to be the first principal.

He announced his departure in a letter to staff on August 23 and was released from the role on September 13. His position in Mammoth began the following Monday, giving him just a weekend to settle into town, the school year already three weeks old. On his first day as principal, he met the staff and superintendent, and he has been working hard to familiarize himself with the students.

“It’s a different kind of transition, for sure, just different,” he said. “But it’s been nice because the people here are so excited to have me.”

Brewer’s hiring comes just two months before the November election, during which the community will vote on a school bond measure that would authorize the district to issue $70 million in bonds for constructing and improving classrooms and building teacher and staff housing.

Housing is the most significant hurdle to hiring qualified employees, Brewer said. He hopes the bond will be passed to keep the school competitive.