As assistant principal of Patricia Kay Beaver Leadership Magnet, Diamantine works with a Multi-tiered Systems of Support team to match the academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs of students with targeted supports. As the school’s testing coordinator, Diamantine has worked closely with teachers and administrators to change the mindset around testing and improve scores by implementing a system of creative testing incentives linked to the school’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program.

According to PKB Principal Libby Callahan, “Since Nate began his work as a school administrator, he has been a leader of PBIS. He has taken existing systems and found innovative ways to build a common language and expectations that have led to student growth and success both academically and behaviorally.”

Diamantine’s role includes overseeing Ceres USD’s K-8 long-term Independent Study program, ensuring that all students learning at home receive the services and supports they need. For the junior high grades at PKB, Diamantine worked with teachers to connect the citizenship rubric with habit-based lessons and tools from the Leader in Me curriculum. Because of this, the school has seen measurable improvements in behavior, academic growth and positive peer influence. In addition, junior high students see themselves as setting an example for elementary students, creating positive outcomes for all grade levels.

Diamantine leads by example, giving back in countless ways. As a veteran of the United States Coast Guard, he organizes an annual 22 Push-up Challenge at the school to bring awareness to the issue of suicide among veterans, with nearly 600 members of the community and veterans’ organizations participating in 2022.

These might not be the typical leadership responses, but they are at the core of who I am. My favorite book is “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions and Always Do Your Best.

My favorite quote is an old Italian saying “tutto passa” which means “everything passes.” It has taught me to not hold on to the negative moments/times because they will pass, and to truly appreciate the good moments/times because they will also pass.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given? The best advice I have ever been given is to live the example of what you expect from others. How can you expect another person to do something you yourself have not done or do not do.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? I have had a very unique path to getting where I am now. I think people would be surprised to know that I am a third-generation beekeeper. My grandfather was a beekeeper, my dad took over the bees from him and we were raised working bees. Another thing people may be surprised to know is that I am a Golden Shellback. While serving in the United States Coast Guard, I was stationed on the USCGS Jarvis. While on a deployment we crossed the equator where it dissects with the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. This rare honor certified us as Golden Shellbacks. Being a Golden Shellback is a rare sea-going/military honor.

What made you want to become a school administrator? What made me want to become a school administrator is the reach of one’s impact. As a school administrator your duty is to serve all stakeholders with enthusiasm, compassion and empathy. The ability to reach and connect with every student is an honor and a privilege that I do not take lightly.

What are you proudest of accomplishing? What I am most proud of accomplishing is the quality of relationships I have built with students. For me, the relationships last a lifetime. As I have always told students, whether in my class as a teacher or on campus as an administrator, you may leave my classroom/school but you will never leave my heart. I take pride in the many long-lasting relationships throughout the years and still being a part of my students’ lives as they move through adulthood. I have always said, if I can leave half of the impact my teachers and coaches had on me with my students, I succeeded!

How has ACSA supported you? ACSA has been a huge support in my career. The amount of support, guidance and professional development I have experienced as part of ACSA is beyond explanation.

How are you prioritizing mental health for yourself, your staff and your students? For me, it is all about the “why.” My “why” is the students. My love for them keeps me grounded and centered. Building relationships with them benefits us both. Them trusting me and allowing me in benefits us equally. They know that I love them just because they are here and my love and support for them will last a lifetime. They hear the words “I love you” on a regular basis from me! Getting them to love who they see in the mirror is so powerful. They know that I not only care about them now, but more so I care about the 20 years from now them. I want them to look back at their lives and be proud of who they are and all they have overcome and accomplished. Helping them to find the joy in making their world and the world around them better keeps my heart and mind motivated. Getting them to see their greatness also improves their mental health. They know that they do not always have control of what happens to them, but they have absolute control of how they maneuver through situations. This lifelong trust, relationship and love is key to all of our mental health.