Several staff changes made at Oak Park High School

Stewart McGugan Oak Park High School students have a new assistant principal, but his is not an unfamiliar face.

Stewart McGugan, who was hired by the school last year as a guidance counselor, has been appointed assistant principal, replacing Larry Boone, who took a job with the Santa Monica-Malibu school district.

McGugan will be responsible for assisting students with last names that begin with L through Z, and for athletics, facilities, campus supervision and the Associated Student Body.

"His familiarity with the students, staff and campus in general was key; however, his energy, eagerness and commitment to step into this position and hit the ground running is unlike any person I have seen," said Principal Andi Mallen.

McGugan earned his bachelor's degree in health education from California State University Northridge in 2003 and a master's in counseling and guidance from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks in 2005. He holds an administrative services credential from National University in Camarillo.

He spent two years as a guidance counselor at Calabasas High School before being hired by Oak Park in January 2007.

As a counselor at Oak Park, McGugan worked with all ninth-grade students on crisis counseling, college advisement, scheduling and special education meetings. He ran a support program for teachers helping students make the transition from middle to high school. He oversaw a quarterly ninth-grade at-risk program for freshman teachers and established the Safe School Ambassadors antibullying program at the high school.

McGugan spent four years during the mid-1990s in the United States Navy. He worked on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier as a storekeeper overseeing inventory of critical pilot and flight deck material and received a Navy Achievement Award for outstanding professional achievement or leadership.

"Our staff has been really warm and welcoming to my new position," McGugan said. "I am really enjoying it."

Replacing McGugan as the new ninth-grade counselor is Julie Heeney, who returns to Oak Park High School after five years as a counselor at Agoura High, said Mallen. Heeney spent one year as a counselor at Oak Park 13 years ago. She left to have a baby and spend time with family.

Heeney has found that some things have changed at Oak Park and some haven't.

"Oak Park was a small town back then. We had about 750 kids. We weren't high-tech. There was no school website. I don't even think I did e-mail back then," Heeney said. "It's nice to be back and see the same teachers are here who were here then."

A Michigan native, Heeney earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Michigan and her master's at Loyola University in Los Angeles. She has a college counseling certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Maryannick Bovard has joined Oak Park High as a French teacher. A native of Bordeaux, France, Bovard taught French for six years at Carden Conejo School in Westlake Village. She has lived in the United States for 22 years and has a master's degree in science from the University of Arizona. She became interested in teaching French when her two children were born. Bovard wanted her children to know English and French.

"I really enjoy my new students in French I,II,III (and) IVAP, and the staff and teachers are wonderful here at OPHS," Bovard said.