Meet the New Principal of CHS
After a year of turmoil at Charlottesville High School, a new principal has been hired, and it seems like he’s here to stay. Meet Dr. Justin Malone, the new principal of CHS. Malone grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. where he attended a private catholic school from kindergarten through 12th grade. Malone remembers his time there fondly and said that going to a small school allowed him to build deep and meaningful friendships that he has sustained for over 45 years. Malone said his schooling helped to instill in him principles of good work ethic along with overarching moral and ethical teachings. Despite this grounding education, Malone said he was “very brash” in high school: “15-year-old me was, I don’t know if I was attention seeking, I valued entertainment, and comedy, and making people laugh.”
Whether through jokes, impressions, or banter, making people laugh was always the goal for a young Malone. In high school, Malone had plans for after school that didn’t involve school at all. At 15, his plan involved becoming an actor at Saturday Night Live and later becoming a character actor; however, these dreams were never realized. “It’s tricky,” he said “it was always either subdued or subverted by the practical direction life was leading me towards.”
Malone has been teaching in Charlottesville City Schools since 2013, starting as assistant principal at CHS. In 2017, he moved to Jackson-Via Elementary as the principal, and now he has come back to CHS, this time as its principal. He said his time as assistant principal helped him realize how much he completely loves CHS, its faculty, and its students. This time also helped him to understand the pace, energy, and challenges of CHS. He believed this understanding of CHS was needed for whoever stepped into his current position, “they kind of needed to have a sense of that in order to feel, not overwhelmed by it, not intimidated by it, to not put any judgment on it,”he said.
Malone said the experience at CHS “…has grounded me in knowing that this is work that I love, and that I can do.” After a rough few years for CHS, Malone looks forward to working to make CHS a safe and welcoming place, and to start to change the perception of the school.
“My plan is to work with staff and students, to continue to provide meaningful experiences for students, for everybody to feel connected and safe, and for their voices to be heard,” he said.
