San Joaquin Memorial High School Names New Interim Principal

April 27, 2021

As San Joaquin Memorial High School transitions from a Head of School model of administration to a President/Principal model of administration, a new interim principal has been named: Mr. Anthony Goston.

Mr. Goston has a long history at Memorial, including currently serving as Assistant Head of School for Student Affairs. He is also the current Head Football Coach. Previously, he served as a World Cultures and AP European History teacher, Athletic Director and Physical Education teacher, a career of service stretching back to 1998. Goston is also a Memorial alumni, having graduated in 1994.

“I’m very passionate about this place,” Goston said. “I have a great sense of pride in what we do and what we represent as a school to our community and I’m thankful and honored by the opportunity to continue to give back.”

A search for a Principal was launched in February and recently concluded without producing a candidate seen as a long-term fit. Goston was asked to step in as interim principal.

"While we are disappointed that the search process did not produce a candidate who could lead us into the future, I am extremely excited to have a person like Mr. Goston to step up and assume this leadership role,” said Michael Burke, SJM Head of School, who will be transitioning to President in the coming months.. “I know that even as an interim Principal, Mr. Goston will put the needs of our students first. Having a student-centered environment is what makes Memorial such a great place.”

Goston will step in as Interim Principal officially on July 1. He said his primary goal is to lead a return to normalcy post-COVID.

“My goal is to bring some clarity to our administrative structure and make sure everything we do is student-centered,” he said. “And especially post-COVID, I want to bring some normalcy back to campus.”