Student Council Principal Interview

The 2019-2020 academic year has been a very educational and life-learning experience for us. The staff and Stamford community helped students get through that period of time and we are very thankful. One of those people who helped us a lot is Mr. Erickson.

On May 6, Mr. Erickson was virtually interviewed by two sixth grade Student Council members. He was asked questions about school, his past, and other personal questions, like “Who is your idol?” or “What hobbies do you have?” Many questions were asked. Let’s go over his responses!

As we all know, Mr. Erickson is the principal of Safety and Student Welfare at Stamford. So what did he teach before becoming a principal? He mostly taught Physical Education and Health, also some Middle School Math. But why did he choose teaching as his vocation? Well, Mr. Erickson grew up in a family of teachers. His father was a teacher, his mother was a teaching assistant, his oldest brother became a teacher, and so did his younger sister.

Being a principal is obviously a very big job. They are very busy and occupied throughout the day. So what does a typical day look like for them? Well, a typical day for Mr. Erickson is always different, but usually starts off by greeting students and staff in the morning at the school entrance. After that, he generally checks his inbox, making sure there are no issues regarding health and safety. Then he does some paperwork, organizes school activities, and walks around the school. In the afternoon, he helps with the bussing and dismissals after school, checks on CCAs, and makes sure that all the buses and students are off-campus and get home safely.

Being a principal comes with both its rewards and challenges. According to Mr. Erickson, some benefits of being a principal are seeing kids happily learning and thriving, making friends, playing sports, getting to know parents, watch kids have fun, do activities, watch them go on field trips, and seeing other staff throughout the day! But there are also many challenges, like COVID-19, protests, school closures, well-being, health and safety concerns of the student body.

We also asked some more personal questions. We asked for some of his favorites. For instance, Mr. Erickson’s favorite color is blue. His favorite musician is Prince. His favorite author is someone named Lee Child, who writes mostly about spy and mystery. And his favorite movies are the James Bond movies.

We also asked him to name some personal hobbies. He likes to play and follow American sports. He’s a big fan of the New York Yankees and the San Antonio Spurs. He also enjoys traveling and spending time with family.

Does Mr. Erickson have a personal quote or motto? Yes! He says to “Be happy and enjoy life to the fullest every day.”

Most people have a personal hero or idol. Who is Mr. Erickson’s? Well, he said that he really looks up to his father, who has taught him a lot. He also looks up to the USA’s 44th president, Barack Obama.

Another thing about Mr. Erickson is that he loves to travel. He and his wife would travel everywhere with their son. Some of their favorite places are Hong Kong, Japan, and Bali (Indonesia). Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, he hasn’t traveled much this year, but cannot wait to travel again when this is all over.

And lastly, Mr. Erickson’s advice to students is, “Try different things that you are unsure of, expand your horizons, and don’t be afraid to take risks.” That’s pretty good advice, huh?

Those were all the questions asked. As you can see, Mr. Erickson had many different and interesting answers. A big thank you for Mr. Erickson for participating in the virtual interview and making Stamford a better place for all of us!