Among other new teachers, David Erwin has taken on the role of the new assistant principal of Cupertino High School, starting the 2025-2026 school year.
Prior to his teaching career, Erwin was an enlisted United States Navy Sailor, where he was stationed on the USS Valley Forge. For Erwin, his years in the military were foundational as they set the stage for his subsequent work in education later on, by giving him the opportunity to establish connections with people from all walks of life. His time in the military also pushed him to cherish learning.
Said Erwin, “I didn’t really care as much about schools as I probably should have, but being in the Navy caused me to care more about being in school and having opportunities, and I limited myself from having opportunities […] Having that naval experience caused me to really care about and cherish the fact that I actually have something that I took for granted and was what motivated me later on to explore careers in schools.”
Erwin has over 30 years of education experience and over 20 years of school administration experience. He first worked as an assistant principal at middle schools in Millbrae, Calif., for two years and then worked three years as a principal. After his career at Millbrae, he worked at Lynbrook High School and had various different jobs for 14 years, including being the activities assistant principal, overseeing athletics, facilities and later the master schedule and technology.
Erwin explains that his early years of teaching shaped his career, as he constantly faced hurdles in terms of the social climate and general student lack of motivation in terms of performance and school spirit. Erwin has thus, throughout his professional life, been involved in many aspects of shaping school culture and climate and greatly values forming bonds with students.
Said Erwin, “Here in Cupertino, kids are really motivated, but when I first started teaching in Hayward High, they’re not as motivated as places like this. That’s why I went to Hayward High […] to motivate students there to see more in themselves.” Throughout his career, Erwin has thus been involved in many aspects of building school culture and climate and greatly values forming bonds with students.
Erwin’s primary goal for Cupertino High School is to ensure that the students are physically and emotionally safe, as he has come to understand that this is essential for effective learning.
“My vision of Cupertino High School would be like any high school in the sense that we want happy and healthy students. […] If we want high-level learning going on, then we need […] students to feel physically and emotionally safe.”
He wants to foster students, teacher, parents and administrator interactions for a welcoming school climate. As a new CHS employee, he is attempting to gain an understanding of the school culture and climate before setting more specific goals, but hopes to increase student collaboration and work on contributing to the school cheer and spirit. He wants to transform the environment in a manner that makes students want to learn out of interest and not compulsion.
As a new administrator, Erwin is looking forward to his future years at CHS and hopes to learn about how the school operates, its community values and how students, staff and parents interact. With these observations, he aspires to make informed decisions and eventually construct a vision that works for and capitalizes on the well-being and achievement of everyone at CHS.
