20 Questions with Lance LeVar

Lance LeVar came to Moab as the associate principal of Grand County High School. He’s concerned about how grudges held in small towns affect young people and loves to see students graduate. Did you know he has his own IMDB.com page?

1) What initially brought you to Moab?

I was offered a position at the high school as the associate principal.

2) What do you love most about living in Moab?

I like that we have a diverse group of people who are trying to create a community we can all enjoy and be proud of.

3) What do you dislike about living in Moab? I get frustrated at people who hold grudges. In a small town, it makes it more difficult for people to recover from past mistakes. While this greatly affects adults, it is devastating to our youth.

4) What is your occupation?

I am still the associate principal at the high school.

5) If you could have any job in the world, what would you most like to do?

I would love to work as a principal at a middle or junior high school back home in the South.

6) Describe a typical day in your life.

I will visit with multiple students who have either broken a rule at the school or are witnesses to concerns. Help students create a plan to improve their trajectory. When I can, I try to fit in times to go and observe teachers in the classroom. Meet with teachers, parents or other community members. If there are no school activities, I get to stay home. If there are school activities, I return to the school for those events.

7) Some people have bumper stickers on their car that read: I’d Rather be Sailing. What would your bumper sticker read?

I’d Rather Be…

In Trinidad listening to the Steel Drum bands at the Panorama Steel Band Festival. (I have a big bumper.)

8) Tell us one thing people don’t usually know about you.

I have an Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) page regarding my work in the video game industry. While working as an audio director for an international video game developer based in American Fork, I recorded the audio for some “thugs” in a video game called “Barbarians.”

9) In high school, you would have been considered the person most likely to…

Be a voice talent for cartoons.

10) What is your favorite Moab activity?

High school graduation. I like that our community is so supportive of the high school students completing this big task. I enjoy watching the students who have worked so hard receive their diploma, and I am excited to see what they are going to do with their lives.

11) Tell us your favorite non-Moab place to visit.

Disney World.

12) What do you consider your greatest achievement in life?

My family. And getting Ginni to marry me was quite an achievement!

13) If you were President, what’s the first thing you’d do to make life better in America?

I would stop making teachers the enemy. Too many people believe the false adage that those who can do and those who can’t teach. I have seen at all levels that the ability to teach a concept is a much harder skill to master than the concept itself.

14) What superhero power would you most like to have?

The Spleen.

15) If you could be an animal, what would it be? Why?

I would have to select one of my children’s teddy bear, because there is nothing like early morning cuddles before I go to work.

16) What is your all time favorite movie?

“Fiddler on the Roof”.

17) And, your all time favorite book?

I am a big fan of the “Shannara” series by Terry Brooks.

18) If you were stranded on a desert island, which three CDs would you want to have with you?

I’d prefer to make my own music, but I’d take “Soul Cages” by Sting “Mi Tierra” by Gloria Estefan and “Joshua Tree” by U2.

19) If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Job. I have always admired Job and his persistence against all odds. He understood what he could control and what he could not and focused on what was within his power to handle.

20) What is your life philosophy?

If you cannot find the humor in a situation then wait a week; it will come to you.

20 Questions is featured weekly to introduce a Moab community member. E-mail Kristin at editor@moabsunnews.com if you, or someone you know, should answer our questions.