We’re only a quarter into the school year, but a lot has already changed on campus. Our new principal Dr. Hinojosa isn’t a stranger to the district, but he is new here at Champion. To get to know Dr. Hinojosa better, we sat down with him to learn who he is and what he plans for the future of this school.

Charger Ink: Did you ever see yourself as a principal in high school? 

Dr. Hinojosa: Probably not until my junior year did I start thinking about college. I had always gotten good grades and I had incredible teachers and a good group of friends who were all going to college. … I went to Texas State to become an athletic trainer and I did that for a couple of years. And then I switched to become a teacher and a coach, [earning an] EDD so an education doctorate, similar to a PHD but in education.

CI: Were you born and raised in Boerne, Texas?

Dr. H.: I was born and raised in McAllen, Texas.

CI: How do you think enforcing the dress code this year would change the learning environment at Champion?

Dr. H.: I’ve been at Boerne for 13 years and the dress code used to be very strict. It wasn’t gender neutral, so there was a section for boys and there was a section for girls. Now it’s just one simple generic dress code. When I was an assistant principal, it was really difficult for me to go into work because I was the dress code police, and I didn’t want to do that. … I want to build relationships; that is what is most important to me. I remember the dress code changed two or three years ago, and it was a lot more student friendly. It was gender neutral. I thought that was going to be a great move for student learning. Students could express themselves more individually but also maintain the educational standard of an institution.

CI: Why did you choose to ban phone use during class?

Dr. H.: When I started at CHS and the teachers got back from summer break, we discussed focus areas which included things that would help our students, like more engaging teaching, more rigorous teaching, and making lessons relevant. Overwhelmingly, teachers shared that students were on their phones a lot during class. There are classes in high school that are really hard and go very fast so it’s like you are driving a car. If you are texting or looking down for three seconds you may miss something important. After much conversation, we all agreed we were going to treat our students like young adults, and we were not going to confiscate phones. However, we expect them to listen to the teachers’ requests for having or putting the phones away. So far teachers are happy with how the students have been. … They are very proud of how respectful kids have been with phones. [There’s a] huge difference — students are aware, engaged, and involved with the content in the class. Student engagement and asking questions is when great learning opportunities come to light.

CI: What’s a fun fact would you like to share about yourself?

Dr. H.: I’ve backpacked across Europe by myself. … I landed in Barcelona and was there for a little bit. A few cities in Spain and Italy, Portugal, and Amsterdam.

CI: What are your favorite movies or genres and why? 

Dr. H.: I’m a big movie fan. I love to go to the movies, and I love to watch movies. My career was on a fast pace — I was a teacher and a coach for five years, and I was an assistant principal at 26, and became a principal at 27, and then I got my doctorate. I was an athletic director and coached as well. I did so much, so throughout the Marvel movies, I may have watched Thor, I may have watched Spiderman, but not in order. When Infinity War and Endgame came out, I’m like, ‘you know what? I missed out the last few years.’ So, I watched them all in order with my family, from Iron Man through Infinity War and Endgame. But the Shawshank Redemption is also one of my favorite movies.

CI: What impact do you hope you will make as the freshmen’s first high school principal?

Dr.H.: I think we are both starting together, the freshman and me. I really hope that the energy that I can bring is matched with the energy that the freshmen are bringing. That energy really amps up our school pride. We have about 600 freshmen enrolled, and they can make a big difference with their engagement and connection with our school.