San Marino welcomes our new assistant principal, Mr. Kassam-Clay. Along with Mr. Kurtenbach, Mr. Kassam-Clay hopes to help lead our school, especially through these tough times, and help each and every student reach their full potential. He is a former high school teacher and administrator, previously being at a middle school in South Pasadena. “I was previously an administrator at a middle school in South Pasadena. I am a former high school teacher and I enjoy the culture and atmosphere of High School. SMHS was a great opportunity to get back into high school,” Mr. Kassam-Clay explained. Before South Pasadena, Mr. Kassam-Clay taught all over the country, and internationally. He has taught at public, charter, and independent schools in Miami, Philadelphia, and Mexico City. His journey started with him getting his undergrad from UC Davis, and his graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins. “Out of college I joined an organization called Teach For America. The organization places university graduates in low-income public schools for two years. I fell in love with teaching and decided to continue working in education,” Mr. Kassam-Clay said. 

Mr. Kassam-Clay grew up in Fresno, California, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children, Zayna and Rumi. Mr. Kassam-Clay’s favorite food is hamburgers, which by him are “easily the most delicious edible item on Earth.” His favorite sports team is Tottenham Hotspur F.C., for which he tried to go to London to watch, pre-Covid. “On the bright side, after COVID, my children will be old enough to take to London,” Mr. Kassam-Clay explained. Speaking of COVID, like all of us, Mr. Kassam-Clay has also had his struggles with quarantine and online schooling. “I miss restaurants! Regarding online schooling, much like students, I miss interacting with others in-person,” he said. Even through the struggles of quarantine and online schooling, Mr. Kassam-Clay hopes to help and give new ideas to help students through these tough times.

Though it has truly been a peculiar and unprecedented year, Mr. Kassam-Clay is still making the most out of it and loving it here at SMHS. “I love it, unfortunately I haven’t gotten to meet too many students yet. However, I have worked a lot with our fantastic SMHS staff,” Mr. Kassam-Clay said. So, on behalf of the entire San Marino community, we gladly welcome our new assistant principal, Mr. Kassam-Clay!