525 Serenade Scott Fisher: Poway Graduation is Principal’s Swan Song

Story and photos by Ken Stone

Marching toward rows of white seats, 525 graduates of Poway High School were casually handed tiny song sheets—the lyrics to the school anthem on one side and a revised version on the other.

Thursday's commencement was more than a grand finale for seniors. It was the last of 14 Titan graduations for Principal Scott Fisher. Or "Mr. Sweater-Vest" as student speakers dubbed him for his trademark attire.

Using the moment to brag—noting Poway's national magazine rankings of 407th or 317th among 22,000 high schools among other honors—Fisher said farewell: "You guys are graduating, and I'm retiring."

Thousands of family and friends packed the shady west stands.  Hundreds more used printed programs to shade their eyes on the east side.  And after student speakers and singers delighted the crowd, and diploma covers were handed out, it was time for the singing of the alma mater.

The secret was kept, and on a second pass, the graduates sang:

Mister Fisher, we will miss
You at Poway High,
Fourteen years as principal,
Faithful Titan guy,
Cherishing, Memories,
As you leave today,
Always deep within our hearts,
The green, and the gray.

Asked who might have written the surprise tribute, Fisher said: "Our choir director, Nancy Gray."

Gray fessed up to the deed, saying she had been colleagues for even longer than his Poway term. She also served with him at Mt. Carmel High, she said.