Castaic Middle
School Principal: Marcia Dains Castaic Middle School Principal: Marcia Dains Marcia Dains became principal of Castaic Middle School in July of 2001 with 22 years of middle school experience and three years as a high school assistant principal. Marcia believes in on-going education for herself and her faculty. She was a Graduate Science Fellow at Baylor Medical School in Houston Texas, one of fifty Sci-Mat Fellows in the United States in 1991, and a National Science Foundation Fellow through the Oppenheimer Foundation. She has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics, an Earth/Life Science Credential, and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership.
She has had the opportunity to teach in four different states (Indiana, Georgia, Texas and California) and experience the "sameness" of the middle school child no matter where in the U.S. they may be. Her strength lies in her understanding of the middle school student and the curricular balance needed to meet their needs.
As a middle school teacher in Science and Home Economics, Marcia found satisfaction creating and/or implementing interdisciplinary units for her students. Such units included but were not limited to an interdisciplinary health and physical education program, an Earthquake Preparedness project, a Black Death unit, and an intergalactic art project. The NASA Intergalactic Art competition resulted in a National First Place Award for both the student and Mrs. Dains. D.C. Heath published the book and workbook "Wellness, an Interdisciplinary Unit" co-authored by Marcia and her teammates. They were also featured on one of the California Department of Education Middle School videotapes titled: "Integrated Curriculum". Support and encouragement for these types of projects are definitely part of Marcia's message to her staff.
Much of Mrs. Dain's time has been spent promoting middle school issues. She has presented workshops on Interdisciplinary Teams, Portfolio Assessment, Integrated Curriculum, Community Projects and Flexible Scheduling at conferences sponsored by the California League of Middle Schools, National Middle School Association, California Middle Grades Partnership, California Mentor Association, California Elementary Education Association and the California Association for Supervision and Curriculum Design. She worked closely with the California Middle Grades Department of Education when "Caught in the Middle" was introduced and was a "team-leader" for one of the first 100 partnership schools in the state.
Professional networking and collaboration are a must for Mrs. Dains. She has been active in the California League of Middle Schools since 1988, serving on the regional advisory panel for six years, chairperson for two and as a curriculum and publications representative to the state committees. She serves as the co-chairperson of the Region S State Partnership Network and works to create networks within the region. When she became an administrator, she also became a member of ACSA, (Association of California School Administrators) and has served as president of the local charter. Marcia is also a member and officer of Delta Kappa Gamma. Such professional ties have increased Marcia's opportunity to learn and share information with her staff and colleagues.
Marcia Dains can be contacted via email at dains@castaic.k12.ca.us. For more information about Castaic Middle School, visit the school’s web site at http://www.castaic.k12.ca.us/cms/. |
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