Shaping lives

Duane Cox is an avid surfer with a passion for teaching children.

He is fortunate in that his career will allow him to combine the two.

At just 30 years old Cox is the new principal at Ether Dwyer Middle

School, his second stop within the Huntington Beach City School District.

Previously, he was a science teacher at Sowers Middle School.

He comes to Dwyer from Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos, where he

served as assistant principal.

Cox is Huntington Beach born and reared. He went through the city

school district as a youngster, attending John Eader Elementary before

moving on to Gisler. Then, it was on to the Huntington Beach Union High

School District where he graduated in 1989 from Huntington Beach High.

Like most youngsters in the area, Cox was involved in various sports

activities, including Seaview Little League. But it was surfing that

captivated him. He competed on the surf teams at Huntington Beach High

and UC San Diego.

Cox also was a competitor in the National Scholastic Surfing

Association.

“Our surfing community has been very supportive of its students,

especially people like (Huntington Beach High Coach) Andy Verdone and

(former world champion) Peter Townend. These types of people are the ones

who believe that kids who surf can be really superb students. That is

what the NSSA believes in, too. Yet, the stereotype of a surfer says

differently.”

Cox, who continues to buck that stereotype, puts on his wetsuit and

goes surfing with students who belong to the Dwyer Surf Club, which holds

club meetings every Wednesday during the month.

The extracurricular club has meetings in the mornings and surfs after

school, typically on planning days, he says, where school lets out at

1:15 p.m.

“I look forward to going out in the water with these kids,” Cox added.

“It’s a good way to continue to bond with them, to help them learn in a

different area of their lives.”

“This is a dream of mine,” Cox said of his role as principal,

especially at such a young age.

Enrollment at Dwyer has continued to climb steadily. Currently, it

stands at 1,135 students.

“I think that Dwyer is the most beautiful looking school. We have a

super staff here, an unbelievable PTSA, and a great, diverse student

population. I’m just very excited to be here.”

The city school district pairs up new principals with a principal who

has already been in the district, sort of a “casual mentor-type program,”

Cox said.

Should Cox have ideas to share, questions to be answered or concerns

about his new job, he will have Huntington Seacliff Principal Ann

Sullivan to turn to.

“I just think Duane will do a sensational job,” Sullivan said. “He has

passion and enthusiasm and the whole administration team at Dwyer is

primed to do a dynamite job.”

* MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.