A full hour before the morning bell rings and students mosey to their classes, Principal Rob Coppo already made the journey from his home in East County to hunker down at school until he leaves his job at 9 p.m. that same night. With each day stretching over 13 hours, Coppo spends a lot of time both in and out of his office in the administration building.
Upon arrival, Coppo starts his daily routine by checking his email to ensure that he is all caught up on any important memos that he may have missed while he was away from work. Once this is done, he glances over his calendar for the day and then heads outside to greet his students as they arrive. As students start their day to the ring of the bell, Coppo is also on the move; some activities on his schedule happen on a regular basis, including evaluating a select number of teachers each year.
At such an expansive school, it is important that each educator is up to par in their curriculum. In order to make sure this is the case, Coppo oversaw 15 teachers’ classes three times each this year. In addition to meeting with his staff, Coppo makes sure to set aside time to check in with his student leaders in the school’s Associated Student Body and Peer Assistant Listeners. ASB President Ellie Kuehnert (12) and PALs President Shyla Mighdoll (12) both noted how their interactions with Coppo have always been positive and productive.
“ASB definitely works with Mr. Coppo because he helps with our events, if we want to get something approved, or even just support,” Kuehnert said. “He’ll usually come in and say hi and check in on us with updates about the school.”
Similarly, Mighdoll stated how Coppo makes it clear that pushing for a “student voice and a platform for students to thrive” is vital for a school to flourish.
“Mr. Coppo is always very receptive to our ideas, even if they don’t necessarily always get approved,” Mighdoll said. “I had the opportunity to speak at a staff meeting a while ago, and he was so excited to have a student present and get a student voice involved. He gives so much attention to student needs and believes that student opinions help the teachers as well.”
Kuehnert also noticed Coppo’s sincerity in understanding and helping his students.
“He is so welcoming, always says hi around campus, you can tell he cares,” Kuenhert said. “I remember after our first [student connection] time, he was walking around talking to the students, and it was very evident how much he cared about each person. It’s something we definitely see eye-to-eye on, and it was really cool to see how much he really does care and is open to taking time to talk with us.”
Outside of scheduled meetings with students and staff — as well as district meetings every other week, Rising Star award meetings every month and the annual North County Conference meeting — Coppo makes a point of carving out time to supervise the quad at lunch to remain connected to students and monitor any immediate issues that need to be addressed.
Finally, the last bell rings, and students rush to their extracurriculars, jobs and homes. Coppo, however, remains. Finishing the rest of his afternoon with any remaining meetings, Coppo moves on to the last part of his workday in the evening: another email review, paired with a calming coffee break to wire him for the rest of the night and longer drive home.
Although he follows a meticulously planned schedule, he does not do it all alone. With the help of his administrative assistant, Tamara Rey, Coppo is able to prioritize tasks throughout the day and remain on a balanced schedule to avoid extensive burnout.
“Aside from helping him with his daily schedule, I try to take all of the little things from him so he can focus on the bigger things,” Rey said. “So I answer all of his phone calls, and when people want to come in and he isn’t available, I will work them into his calendar.”
With Coppo and Rey working together, they are able to push out tasks with even more efficiency, but in their case, communication is key. In a world of many moving parts, not only does Rey have to constantly update Coppo, but vice versa as well.
“[Coppo] will keep me up to date as things get changed,” Rey said. “We have a very open line of communication, so if I have a question or something, I know that I could just ask him and he will clarify.”
Overall, Rey is “proud to work alongside Mr. Coppo because he truly loves the school.”
“What I have noticed most about Mr. Coppo is what makes him happiest is when he interacts with students,” Rey said. “I appreciate that in a leader and a principal who runs the school because it shows that he’s very student-driven and that’s why he’s here.”
Aside from all of his duties running the school, Coppo takes on the privilege of co-hosting his own podcast, “What’s Best For Kids?” which can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audacy. Within his podcast, Coppo and his co-host, former TPHS teacher Don Collins, dive into what educators wished parents knew about teaching and learning, and vice versa. Project production for the two innovators began in 2023, and is still releasing new episodes. Coppo sets aside two hours every other week to record two one-hour episodes, tallying up to about 18-20 episodes per year.
By the time the end of the day has arrived, and it is finally time for Coppo to go home, another day is just around the corner. No matter how tired he is or how much pressure he may feel, Mighdoll described exactly why Coppo is such a great leader for the school.
“Having a leader who is open-minded to every kind of person is the most important factor to things running efficiently, and no matter what time of day, that is exactly what Mr. Coppo is,” Mighdoll said. “We can always count on him.”
