In this last issue of the 2024-2025 school year, The Accolade’s staff reporter and social media team member Emily Lee interviews senior Liam Weinreich on his experience as a student here with his father as principal and his plans after graduation. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Question 1: You are the youngest son in principal Craig Weinreich’s family, but you are also the only sibling who had four years of in-person instruction in high school (you started here as a freshman in the 2021-2022 school year after the March 2020 COVID-19 outbreak that shut down schools). What does this mean to you? How did this fact impact your high school career?

Answer: I definitely had a few more perks to having my dad here as the principal. And it was also nice coming after my brother because teachers would know me, and it made it feel like I was a lot more welcomed here at Sunny Hills right away. I didn’t have to find my spot here. I know a lot of teachers and faculty here that actually know me not just as a student. They knew me growing up, and so they are really invested in me. It’s already nice that we have such invested staff at our school. I really enjoyed having that connection with some of the teachers here, and of course, my favorite perk is being able to go to the office sometimes and see my dad there, which is really fun. It’s also nice because he has food a lot of the time, so I’ll get food and candy.

Question 2: What role did your dad, the principal, play throughout your high school journey?

A: He was very helpful in guiding me through my high school journey because he understood how classes work here, and he understood the teachers. He knew where I would fit the best, so I think that helped me to shape my high school career and to be successful in the classes that I took. I think he really just helped guide me because he was much more knowledgeable about high school in general, but especially Sunny Hills, because he’s worked here for so long.

Question 3: What was it like to come to school that first year while your dad was an administrator elsewhere and how has that changed, if at all, when he came back to be the principal at Sunny Hills near the middle of the second semester?

A: It was the beginning of my freshman year when he was at La Habra. I think it was most different when he finally came to Sunny because before that, I had no idea what it was like to have my dad as the principal at the school. So, I would say that not having him here didn’t really change it, but it changed when he did come because I mean, I have my dad on campus, and it was really cool.

Question 4: How special will it be for you to go on stage at graduation and shake your father’s hand during the graduation ceremony?

A: It’s going to be really special. It’s already really cool that he’s been able to be here with me throughout the whole high school experience and throughout my whole college recruiting experience, so it’s going to be really nice. He’s watched me grow as a high schooler, he’s watched me stress over tests and he’s watched me go through everything, so it’s going to be really fun to have him there on the stage and be there for that special moment.

Question 5: Would you recommend other teens whose parents are teachers or administrators here to come to Sunny Hills? Why or why not?

A: I would 100% tell other students or teens who have teachers or faculty members who are family here to come here because it’s not like having a family member on campus isn’t a bad thing. Some people say that it’s horrible to have your dad on campus, but it’s a really good thing, especially if you’re coming to a new school with new people, since you have someone there that you’re really close with. I also don’t think teachers are going to treat you differently just because you’re related to someone here, so it’s not going to be embarrassing; they’re not going to call you out all the time. They won’t be harder on you, and they’re going to treat you just like every other student, but it’s nice because you have a different connection to these teachers, especially if you’ve known them previously through your family.  

Question 6: What is the deepest, most intellectual question a classmate asked you about being related to the principal?

A: I think the question about whether I enjoy having my dad as the principal is up there because I could see how people would not enjoy having a family member at school. But I definitely enjoy it.

Question 7: Since principal Weinreich graduated from Troy, do you ever make fun of him working here in “enemy” territory?

A: I definitely do make fun of him because it’s kind of ironic that he went to Troy, graduated from Troy and then ended up working at Sunny Hills. But I don’t think it’s enemy territory to him. I think he sees himself much more as a Lancer than a Warrior. 

Question 8: What is your least favorite part about your dad being the principal?

A: My dad knows everything that’s going on. After school, if I tell him something funny that happened throughout my day, whether it’s about me or a teacher, he’ll already know.

Question 9: Can you tell us about your sport?

A: I’m the varsity swim team captain this year, and I swim the 50-yard freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke and boys 200-yard medley relay. This year, our relay teams are hoping to break school records.

Question 10: What is an obstacle you faced during your high school career, and how did you overcome it?

A: I’m a perfectionist, so I stress myself out about everything I do in school, even for the smallest assignments. I’m always trying my best on them, and I think it really burned me out, so I got really lazy near the end of the second semester of my junior year, which is probably the worst time to get lazy. I overcame that laziness by reminding myself that I’m almost to the end and changing my schedule to get more sleep so that I could mentally get back to where I was before, which is when I was doing all my work and finishing it on time and doing it correctly. I started coming home after practice and putting my phone in another room until I finished my homework so that I could focus. I tried to cut out as many distractions as I could, and I would try to get my work done as soon as possible because it takes a lot of effort to go to school, practice and then come home and do a lot of homework right away.

Question 11: What teacher or coach has had a big impact on you?

A: Ms. [Teresa] McCarty had a really big effect on me. I’d say she helped me learn a lot mentally and academically. I feel like she made essays really straightforward for me, and she really helped me shape my essays for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition and Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exams. At the same time, Ms. McCarty helped me with my whole college situation because I had a lot of stress with my college decision. I ended up getting deferred from where I thought I was going to go, and I was really stressed about that because I hadn’t really applied anywhere else, and that was the one spot I was thinking about making. Ms. McCarty was really reassuring by letting me know that everything was going to work out the way it should. She told me that if I don’t make it into one specific school, there’s a place where I’m more meant to be, and everything’s going to work out in the end. She definitely helped me through that. She was also an understanding teacher. When I had her junior year, I had her for my last period, so I would fall asleep in her class a lot because I would be exhausted. She wouldn’t wake me up right away or yell at me. She would let me get the rest I needed, but she would still help me finish my work and understand what was happening in class. Not saying I slept through her whole class, but she understood that it was really hard to get through a school day and have practice in the morning and after school. Overall, I think she was a really understanding and kind teacher, and she helped me a lot with both academics and being a good person. 

Question 12: What is something you will miss about Sunny Hills?

A: I’ll definitely miss the people here and the staff I really enjoy. I’ll miss all of the teachers I’ve had and all my friends I’ve met here, and I’m going to miss the Associated Student Body a lot, too. I’m also going to miss the sports events, like being able to watch all my friends at their events.

Question 13: What college are you committed to and what major?

A: I’m committed to Pomona College in Claremont, and I’m going to be swimming there. I will also be majoring in biology and then hopefully do a pre-med course to eventually go to medical school.

Question 14: What goals do you hope to pursue outside of high school?

A: Outside of high school, I’m definitely excited to swim at the collegiate level. I’m hoping to go to the NCAA competitions, and I’m definitely hoping to succeed academically at Pomona. Eventually, I want to go to medical school, so I definitely want to succeed in my sports and academics. Also, I know that after high school, friendships aren’t really built into your daily schedule, so I want to make sure that I keep in touch with my friends.