Principal Guidry

**Principal Guidry** (Actor-Joe McGettigan) Principal at East Valley Academy High School and openly a practicing Buddhist.
Guidry is a new principal taking over for a formerly failing regime on the school board. Guidry added his own group of teachers to act as the new board council members. The teachers seen in board meetings that Guidry appointed over several episodes are as follows: Mr. Neil, Mrs. Hialeah, Ms. Camille, Counselor Kaidence, Mr. Stu Charles, Ms. Fritz, Wil, and an unnamed middle aged female teacher played by actress Tamela Jordan, mother of Jessica Jordan (Thea Swanson). Guidry makes it a point to use other resources for alternative funding like “Box tops for education clippings” brought in by all teachers and faculty. Not by his choice and under protest teacher Mr. Rowley has been volunteered by Guidry, to work as a council member in an early episode.

High energy, professional and personal, Guidry is an open-minded, ethical man. Principal Guidry is a former corporate executive and the new principal of East Valley Academy. He is also the newly self-appointed leader of the school advisory council by way of cutting the budget and the previous regime of council board members. Guidry added his own group of handpicked teachers to act as the new council members, often pulling the teachers out of class for board meetings.

While in Mr. Neil’s class, and when he’s away at a board meeting, Erin and Miri have a long conversation with Ms. Lara Camille about cute and creepy guys showing the exploitation of teachers missing in their own classes.

Principal Guidry establishes personal appreciation from students, teachers, and faculty by taking enough time to build the relationships and deep trust. Hialeah, a philosophy teacher at East Valley High, has built a trusting relationship with him, even confiding in him about every day personal student conduct that has happened between rival students Savannah and Erin in the fourth episode **"Fued of Friends and Foes"**.

One teacher, Mr. Neil, sees the Principal Guidry as a true idealist. There are glaring differences between guiding and leading the school as a teacher and as leaders between Guidry and Neil. The glaring differences are depicted to key philosophical visions on the outcome of student’s path to success and the monetary disbursement of very little funds. For all their arguments, all of their surface differences, the two are quite similar. Arguments usually initiated by Mr. Rowley by an unorthodox yet proven strategy from Guidry are commonplace. Principal Guidry is a practicing Buddhist. He works well with the Christian community, as well as others, finding ways to resolve their differences to not only co-exist but also thrive. In the third episode **"Friends, Family, and Freeloaders, Part 2"** he is present along with other Christians and faculty teachers/students gathered around praying for the safe recovery of a student who attempted suicide in the classroom.

During Melody Hull's final valedictorian speech to end the series, she extends Principal Guidry an open invitation to come to her Christian Church.

## Character Background

Principal Guidry was never referred to by first name in any episode, however the scripts and even a website character bio have his first name listed as Rod. Actor/Producer Joe McGettigan vehemently disliked the first name and requested the name be omitted from the character completely which it was.

Principal Guidry appears in all but one episode of the series and is wearing a suit and tie in every single scene except one. Principal Guidry, Griffin, and Ryan show up unannounced to deliver a couple fresh pizza's to the roommates apartment as a gesture of kindness and Guidry is seen wearing a jacket and stripped sweater.
By design Principal Guidry's image is reflective of actor Joe McGettigan's who was always dressed upscale, not to mention the fact that the actor also had attire connections to Men's Warehouse.

## Quote

During detention and while walking through the East Valley Academy library, Principal Guidry stumbles across several unexpected surprises; some good, some shocking, and some outright evident that supervision of adolescent hormones need to be better kept in check. Guidry's quote to Mr. Neil as he pulls off Griffin and Khalil's hats in detention. *"It's okay, Erin was being wooed by this one in detention."* Mr. Neil was unaware that during Guidry's walk through he found Griffin and Erin heavily making out in a corner. Juliana, a graduate from last year, but friend of Mr. Neil's is covering for him to watch over students. The quiet and little know or heard Jeremy Estrada is reading a book and speaking for his apparent girlfriend Teagan Janney, whose a popular girl and embarrassed to be caught being so close to him.

## "Friends, Family, and Freeloaders, Part 2" - Episode 3

Principal Guidry, Landon, and Mr. Neil Rowley in the aftermath discuss a classroom tragedy where Khalil slit his wrists in front of the class and is off in an ambulance.