On campus with new principal John Dixon

Just a week into his tenure, Vista del Lago High School's principal John Dixon has already watched a couple potential bumps in the road turn out smoothly."We had two bell schedules going at the same time the other day," Dixon said. "But if that's the biggest problem, I'd say we're in good shape."Orientation day presented another possible snag. Photographers hired to take student ID photos during the program planned on a turnout of 40 or 50 percent the student population, typical for orientation days, Dixon said. But 90 percent of Vista del Lago's future students showed up."The bad thing was that we didn't have enough cameras. People had to wait in line for 25 minutes," he said. "But the good was that so many of our students and parents showed up. While they waited, I had the opportunity to walk and talk with them."Things are turning out pretty well for a man who, just a decade ago, wouldn't have guessed he'd wind up in education. Dixon began his career in probation, and soon noticed he connected easily with young adults, particularly high school students. "At the middle school level, you can see personalities start to develop, you can forecast where the kids are going, what their opportunities are going to be in the future," he said. "But by high school, the kids are a little farther along. They're not projecting things so much, they're actually doing them."By crossing over to education, he felt he would have a chance to guide the youths."They're making decisions that are going to impact their future," he said. "If we can help guide them, we might be able to catch kids who might otherwise slip through the cracks."After earning a master's degree in counseling, Dixon went to work as a school counselor in his hometown of Portland, Ore.He progressed into administration following a move to California, serving as vice principal at Merrill F. West High School in Tracy and Folsom High School before being selected to head Vista del Lago.He called his earlier counseling experience a two-edged sword. "Initially, it was negative because of my absence of classroom experience. It took a number of years to educate myself about teaching, how to help people in terms of instruction," he said."But it's positive because I have the ability to listen to people."Some students have already noticed."He seems nice," said freshman Nicole Collins, 14. "He's always checking to see if things are okay.He talks to us like he respects us.""I think he's really organized," said fellow freshman Brianna Dagnall, 14. "I know because my mom is his administrative assistant." But that organization comes at a price."Lately, I haven't had much spare time," Dixon said. "When I do, I spend it with my family."He's been married for six years to Shannon Dixon, and the couple has a young daughter, 8-month-old Delaney."Sometimes it can be hard to maintain that perfect balance of work and leisure," Dixon said. "I do like to be active. I like to play basketball. We like to go backpacking in the Auburn area."As the principal of a brand new school, Dixon hasn't had much time for leisure. But he's had opportunities unknown to most administrators. He watched the selection of a school mascot and colors - the Eagle and navy and silver, respectively - and he's built his staff from scratch. Despite his pride in Vista del Lago, Dixon will never forget there's still another campus in town - Folsom High School."As part of the same district, we're all on the same team," he said. "But I think there will always be that natural rivalry that just happens between two high schools. We're going to work hard to make sure it's a friendly rivalry."The Telegraph's Cheri March can be reached at cherim@goldcountrymedia.com or comment online at www.folsomtelegraph.com.