Dr. Paul Astin

paul@manzanitaschool.org

Dr. Paul currently serves as the Head of School and is a Co-Founder of Manzanita. He has worked in education for over 30 years and has been a teacher and administrator in both public and private schools. Dr. Paul wrote his 2008 UCLA doctoral dissertation on adolescent development and middle school reform, which was instrumental in helping to identify the programming elements that inform Manzanita’s vision. In the 1980s, Paul founded and directed Los Vecinos Grassroots Development Organization, a non-profit corporation that developed health education programs in a squatter settlement outside of Mexicali, Mexico. In 2001, Paul won the Bravo Award from the Los Angeles County Music Center for integrating music into his 3rd-grade classroom. Paul was named “Topanga Citizen of the Year” in 2008, in recognition of the volunteer work of his 6th grade students at Topanga Elementary. It was during his 6 years at Topanga Elementary School that Paul began to experience to profound impacts that nature immersion could have on the lives of adolescent students. Before becoming a full-time classroom educator, Paul was a professional jazz pianist and music teacher. Paul lives in Topanga Canyon with his wife Jenny Griffiths, a Co-Founder of Manzanita School. They have two daughters, Amalia and Ila. Ila was a 2018 graduate of Manzanita School and received a BA in visual art from Oberlin College and Conservatory. He loves and values being able to watch how the programs and land of Manzanita awaken students to their most connected and gracious selves and how joyful they are to attend school each day. Outside of school hours, Dr. Paul loves carving and sanding pieces of wood and manzanita branches.

Educational Background: Paul has a BA degree in Prehistoric Studies, a bilingual and bicultural teaching credential, an MA in Latin American Studies, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Joined: 2013, the preparation year prior to opening in 2014