Palo Verde High School

Welcome to Palo Verde High School and the 2026-2027 Academic Year

It is a distinct honor and privilege to be joining the Yellow Jacket family as your new Principal. I come to PVHS with over
40 years of experience in education as a teacher and school leader, and I feel genuinely blessed to be part of the Blythe
community.  Schools are places where incredible work takes place every day - by teachers, coaches, and
paraprofessionals who work tirelessly to inspire young minds and hearts, by school staff who provide compassionate
support to students and families, by students who work hard to become the best version of themselves, and by the
community who partner with the school to create a safe and vibrant campus.

Since I am now a Yellow Jacket, I decided to do some research on these insects, and I found some great facts that can
help us all understand some of the symbolism of the Yellow Jacket as our school mascot:

-Yellow Jackets are pollinators who move from flower to flower making new flowers and the beauty they possess, much
like a PVHS Yellow Jacket tries to make the world a better place by their actions.
-Yellow Jackets help keep gardens free of harmful insects. Without them, the world would become overrun with pest
insects. They instinctively know how to eliminate insects that are dangerous to crops, much like a PVHS Yellow Jacket
tries to always focus on doing the right thing and knows how to get rid of negative influences in their lives.
-Yellow Jackets live in colonies like ants and bees, and have workers, queens, and drones who accomplish hard work,
much like PVHS community members work hard and treat others the way they want to be treated.
-Yellow Jackets get nasty and sting when they feel threatened. They go on the offensive when they feel any member of
their wasp family is being attacked, much like members of the PVHS community defend each other, treat each other as
family, and go on the offensive when anyone threatens one of their own.   

You will soon constantly hear me talk about three guiding principles that have shaped my life and my work as an
educator:
1) DO THE RIGHT THING.
2) TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. 
3) MAKE PALO VERDE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

I believe if we all follow these three guiding principles, we will find happiness and success. Life will always have many
challenges, but if we as a school family abide by these three guiding principles, we can face those challenges as a family
and work through them. I grew up in South Los Angeles and I experienced significant childhood trauma, so I am someone
who believes in treating everyone with kindness and compassion, because we never know the emotional baggage
someone may be carrying around. You have my word I will always try to be sensitive in my interactions with others. I am
far from perfect, but you have my word I will always try my best.  

Please know that I am here anytime anyone in the PVHS community needs anything.  I try my best to be a good and
active listener, I will strive at all times to be solution oriented, I can be relied upon to be a man of integrity, and I will do my
best to be present in every aspect of Yellow Jacket family life. My office always has candy, so students, staff, families, and
visitors are always welcome to grab some. I also always have a bad "Dad Joke of the Day" so feel free to ask me for the
joke and be prepared for it to be very corny. 

 

I can be reached on my district email at mark.ryan@pvusd.us or on my Google Voice at 760-544-2230

Anticipating a wonderful year,
Dr. Mark Ryan
Principal
mark.ryan@pvusd.us

760-544-2230