Many students want to have an adult that they can talk to, and new Assistant Principal Dr. Jeremy Spurley is just the person to go to. 

Dr. Spurley got into education to help students. “I really want to teach students how to grow into young men and women and be productive in society,” Spurley said. He wants every student to feel safe – mentally, emotionally, and physically, and not be viewed as just “an assistant principal and disciplinarian.”

In high school he rarely saw his counselors and had to navigate the system all on his own, which is why he makes himself more visible in school so people can come to him. He has an open door policy where students can come to him for support. 

Dr. Spurley looks forward to getting as many students to college as possible. What he really likes about West Covina High School is that many students end up in college and he likes that the school offers many different courses for students to take. Spurley’s mission is to encourage everyone to work hard and achieve their goals. “As long as you believe in yourself, and you’re willing to work for it, you can do it,” Spurley said.

Although he doesn’t look like it and his name doesn’t suggest it, Dr. Spurley is Cuban. His mom migrated in the mid-’60s so he is first generation in the U.S. He attended school in Glendale and is the first in his family to get a high-end college degree. 

When asked what his favorite sport is, having played all four years in high school, Spurley said baseball and named Dodgers as his favorite team. Blue, then, is his favorite color.

“Blue..Dodger blue, right?…No orange, no black, no Giants colors around here,” Spurley said. “You’ll never see that in my office, all blue. But I will say that since coming here to West Covina, maroon and gold. I had maroon, I liked gold, and now that I am able to put them together, it’s even better.”