Greg Schellenberg aims to foster innovation and community engagement in new position
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
Hailing most recently from Washington state, where he served as principal for a high-performing high school, Malibu Middle School’s new principal, Greg Schellenberg, brings expertise in curriculum development and implementation, strategic planning, and facilitating effective communication between parents, staff, and students.
“I will listen, learn and honor the history of Malibu Middle School,” Schellenberg said. “At the same time, I can look for opportunities to make adjustments and tweaks based on my experience — as a new person, there’s a window of opportunity to say, ‘Have we ever considered doing something a different way?’”
Elaborating on that, he said, “I am looking forward to joining the community, but I’m not coming in with a scheduled plan with how I will change anything. My whole approach is for me to do what I do well within the context of the community.”
Schellenberg‘s work in international education, including teaching and serving as a principal for international baccalaureate programs, affords him cross-cultural acumen and a breadth of knowledge. He has worked in administrative positions at schools in Shanghai, China, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
When asked whether he thinks his international professional experiences will serve him well as the Malibu Middle School principal, Schellenberg paused, reflected and said, “Running a classroom or a school where there are students of 70-plus nationalities and also a multi-national staff allows an educator to further develop his creativity and innovation. Such experiences allow you to listen to people and learn about all of their perspectives and variety of experiences and to respect what they bring to the table.”
Improving learning outcomes is one of Schellenberg’s strong suits. Noting that he takes the helm as principal in a rapidly changing world immersed with developing new technologies, he commented about the potential benefits of, and possible complications presented by, using artificial intelligence in the education sector.
“I think the next frontier is for schools to embrace artificial intelligence and learn how that can improve planning and instruction,” he said. “I went to a workshop at the end of the last school year and, on the spot, the presenter used one of the AI websites to develop a grading rubric for an essay that had many points in a wholly functioning grading rubric.”
Both caution and optimism are warranted in this arena, Schellenberg believes.
“With AI, we must be mindful that there’s a danger of plagiarism,” He said. “The technology is not a panacea or a service that we can just take and use, but, when used correctly and monitored, it can predict and assess permutations. So, the goal is to utilize AI to benefit instruction. We must learn how to better monitor children’s progress and that involves assessments that can change daily for some students.”
Schellenberg and his spouse, Angela, have twin sons who are beginning college this year. One will attend UC Santa Barbara, the other the University of Arizona.
“My wife is a mental health counselor with a grief and loss specialty, focusing on helping survivors of sudden loss or violent death,” he said. “She works with a strong network of women who are practitioners in Southern California and she has often traveled to Southern California for workshops.”
His becoming the Malibu Middle School principal perfectly aligns with Angela’s desire to move to Southern California for her career, Schellenberg said.
“I was in Malibu in the late 1980’s when I went to high school in Oregon,” He shared. “I attended a Pepperdine team camp for basketball three summers in a row when Jim Harrick was the coach. I enjoyed Malibu so much then and here I am coming back to the town 40 years later!”
So far, Schellenberg has chatted with a few Malibuites.
“In conversations with people, they’ve shared the community’s desire to solidify a middle school identity,” he said. “I will invest in the community, meet, listen, and prioritize, and I will aim to support a unique middle school mentality and culture.”
As The Malibu Times caught up with him, Schellenberg, Angela, and the family’s three pugs were making their way in U-Hauls and family vehicles to relocate to Malibu. His first day on the job was Aug. 18.
“I’m overjoyed and delighted to join the community!” he exclaimed. “Here’s to a successful school year!”