Making it from a gang-infested neighborhood in east San Jose to
Olympic glory, the new principal of Gilroy High School learned
early how education paves the road to success.
Making it from a gang-infested neighborhood in east San Jose to Olympic glory, the new principal of Gilroy High School learned early how education paves the road to success.
Marco Sanchez, chosen to head the high school starting in late July, is a former Olympics wrestler and longtime administrator. Yet, he identifies with many of the challenges his future students face.
“The odds were really stacked against me,” said Sanchez, 39.
The first in his immediate family to graduate from high school, Sanchez didn’t stop until he earned his doctorate. His mother died when Sanchez was in the eighth grade, but not before she earned a general equivalency diploma.
“My mother was an inspiration,” Sanchez said. “Losing her was one tough obstacle.”
About the same time he lost his mother, Sanchez took up wrestling, a sport his father – a fisherman and baker – didn’t see much use for, Sanchez said. An average student, Sanchez didn’t think much about going to college until later in his high school career. After rooting for his wrestling idols in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Sanchez set his sights on getting to the games.
“I knew I had to go through college to get where I wanted to be,” he said.
In 1996, Sanchez represented Puerto Rico in the Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling.
“It was huge,” Sanchez said of the honor to not only represent his parents’ native country – a decision that finally turned his father on to the sport – but also to join an elite few in the most celebrated athletic event on the planet. Aside from wrestling for Puerto Rico, one of the most memorable encounters he had was meeting basketball legends Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and David Robinson.
The values he learned as a wrestler transfer to his career as an educator and his athletic honors often parlay into an opportunity to tout the importance of education, he said. Sanchez is used to students’ gazes straying to his ears when talking to him for the first time. He carries his “cauliflower ears” – a condition common among wrestlers, caused by repeated blows and resulting in permanently swollen ears – like trophies, he said.
Sanchez will bring his own history of wrestling success to the school, which has become a powerhouse in the state. In addition to being an Olympian, he was three-time CCS and Mid-Cal champion, two-time All-American and University National Champion, among other titles.
“Winning the game in the classroom comes first,” he said. “Mission one is being a student. Winning on the field, on the mat, on the court or in the pool comes next.”
Increasing access to higher education, closing the achievement gap and “continuing the work Mr. Maxwell did that earned Gilroy High School the distinction of being a California Distinguished School” are some of Sanchez’s top priorities, he said.
Trustees Fred Tovar and Javier Aguirre, who served with Superintendent Deborah Flores on the selection panel that interviewed three finalists, said they were immediately drawn to Sanchez’s “action-oriented” approach.
“I was looking for someone who was going to take GHS to the next level,” Tovar said. “(Sanchez) shined from the moment he began talking to us. Other finalists were excellent but his vision, personality and communication skills were a perfect blend for our community. He’s the perfect role model and I think our community is going to embrace him.”
Like Tovar, Aguirre wanted a candidate that would boost college enrollment and was impressed by Sanchez’s record of accessibility to parents, he said.
The bilingual educator comes to Gilroy with more than a decade of classroom and administrative experience under his belt. A former intervention and physical education teacher and a project coordinator for at-risk students, Sanchez also assumed leadership roles as assistant principal of two large comprehensive high schools – Elk Grove High School south of Sacramento and an Arizona high school. He is currently principal of Lodi Middle School and expects to be situated at GHS by late July.
He plans to move his wife and 6-year-old son to Gilroy soon, he said. His 16-year-old daughter lives in Arizona.
He looked at Gilroy because of its location and the opportunity to work at GHS.
“Who wouldn’t want to be principal of a California Distinguished School,” he said. “It’s going to be a great year for all of us.”
Marco Sanchez, 39
Family
Wife, 6-year-old son,
16-year-old daughter
Education
– Bachelor’s in sociology, Arizona State University
– Master’s in education, University of Phoenix
– Doctorate in organizational leadership, Northcentral University
Career
– Physical education teacher, intervention teacher, at-risk program coordinator
– 6 years as assistant principal at two comprehensive high schools
– 2 years as principal of middle school
