Principal Dana Brown’s Interview with Asian Spectrum TV

On Tuesday, Apr.19 the Asian Spectrum TV show broadcasted a live interview with Malden High School principal Dana Brown on Malden Access TV. The interview was conducted by the show’s host Xiaoyun Cong. Brown was invited to the show to be honored for the many years he has contributed to Malden, including the 13 years he has been principal at MHS. He has had a positive impact on the Malden community, specifically the Malden Asian community.  

Brown was first asked about his retirement and what he has planned after retirement. He responded by saying that he has been honored to serve as principal of MHS for over a decade. He continued to say that he doesn’t know what his next move will be but he did mention his desire to work with youth again. When asked about what makes him most proud about MHS,  Brown responded by saying that the way students and teachers treat each other makes it a “community.” He also expressed that he was proud to have been the principal of one of “the most diverse schools in the state.”  

During the interview with Cong, Brown was also asked about his thoughts on the new principal, Edward Lombardi. He responded by saying that “[Lombardi] really values the history of the school” and that he has “great energy and a lot of new ideas.” Brown continued by saying that his advice to Lombardi would be to “learn, listen, and look around” and to not “change things right away.” He also suggested that Lombardi should first “try and be part of the community and fit in” and then “over time, if [Lombardi] has fresh ideas he should implement them.” Brown concluded by saying that “[Lombardi] will do a great job” and that all he has to do is listen.  

Later Brown was asked about the toughest thing he had to do as principal. He stated, “[He] think[s] sometimes the hardest thing to do is give students news they don’t want to hear.” He continued, “There are people who tell you what you want to hear and then there are people who tell you what you need to hear.” Brown mentioned that “A lot of times, [he] is the one that has to tell students or adults what they need to hear, and sometimes that is not always good news.”

Brown was then shown old photos of him with students to comment on. The photos included him watching Junior Varieties, posing in his “Wacky Tacky” day outfit, and him coaching the teachers on the annual student faculty basketball game. Brown mentioned that he loves to support students on activities outside of school like sports or Junior Varieties. “You have to show students that you care about their involvement in anything besides academics,” added Brown.   

To end the show, Brown was given an award by the president of Asian Spectrum, Diana Jeong. Jeong mentioned that “[Brown] has been a great asset to the Malden community and that [the community] will miss him.” Jeong finally thanked Brown for all his services to Malden.