Administration

Dear Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Community, 

I am honored to be writing to you today as the new Principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle
School. Over the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the staff, student, and
parent members of the King family. I couldn’t be more excited to become a King Cobra and serve
as your new principal. In every conversation, pride in the staff and admiration for the students
has shone through. It is evident that I join a tight knit community with a rich and proud tradition
of inclusive instruction focused as much on building character as honing intelligence. I look
forward to learning as much as possible about King by actively observing and listening.
Moreover, I look forward to working with the King family to transform Martin Luther King, Jr.
Middle School from good to great.

I have been in education since 1990 when I began serving as a high school history teacher at
Menlo-Atherton High School. I have accumulated 22 years of teaching experience and 7 years of
administrative experience at various schools across the US and overseas. This move to King, in a
way, is a homecoming. I first discovered that I wanted to pursue a career in education when I
mentored middle school students from East Palo Alto during my undergraduate years. I deeply
appreciated the fact that the students I had the privilege to learn from and teach boldly
questioned everything and didn’t take anything at face value. I see these traits in my daughter
who starts middle school (6th grade) the same week that school begins at King. Middle School is
such an important part of a student’s life because for most, it is where they begin to form their
own values and beliefs and develop a sense of self. I’m excited to be a part of this journey at King.
I look forward to having a wonderful school year!

Respectfully,

Darrell Daniels