Know Your Neighbor: Jason Austin

Jason Austin, 35, lives in Sterling with his wife, Karina Austin, 33 and their children Reiley, 7, Luke, 6, and twins, Madison and Kate, 5, and Maggie, their blue Great Dane.

What’s on your iPod or CD player? All types of music, no specific genre. My and my family’s iPods and iPads are synced so when my 7-year-old downloads something, it shows up on mine. Jason Aldean is the most-often played right now.

I work at: Sterling High School. I’ve been principal for 3 years. I’ve been an administrator in the district for 7 years.

On-the-job lesson: Understanding and patience. I’ve learned that as I get to know the students and their diverse backgrounds, I get to know why they do the things they do. I have patience with students and parents. A lot of times parents expect high school to be like it was when they were in school. It’s much more competitive. You have to be employed or go to college right after graduation. We have to counsel them and help them through the process.

Alma mater: Sterling High School Class of 1995. I have a bachelor’s degree in teaching with a focus on history from North Park University in Chicago, and a master’s degree in educational leadership and school administration from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

Motto: Family first.

Oughtta be a law: It should be much more affordable for kids to go to college.

What do you like to do for fun? Exercise. Specifically, running, biking and swimming.

What makes your blood boil? When people don’t use common sense.

Haunts: Sterling High School sporting events. I like to see as many sports evens as I can every year. And my family and I like to go to Hilton Head, S.C.

Hero: My father, Tim Austin of Sterling. He’s always been someone who’d, if you wanted advice or not, be there to give advice and encouragement. He made the effort to be at every game or other event for my siblings and I, and work in between. When I played basketball in Minnesota, he’d drive to see the game.

First job: I used to clean the floors and pick up trash at Bun Austin Chevrolet in Sterling. I was 14. It was a job that, since you were the boss’s son, you did some jobs other people didn’t want to do. It was a good way to learn.

First car: I had a Geo Prism when I was 16.

Read this: “The Talent Code,” by Daniel Coyle. I love research and data. It takes a look at all the aspects that go into people being successful in different professions. It’s a different way to look at students and kids.

Guilty pleasure: Technology. I like to have the newest technology and to know how to use it. The kids [at Sterling High School] are always changing the technology they use. It helps me stay connected with them.

I’d like to meet: I’m an Apple junkie, so probably Steve Jobs.

In the dictionary next to: Competitive. I view many things in terms of winning or losing. I hate losing more than I like winning. If we help a kid figure something out with school – if we can figure it out, we win. That’s how I frame things. If you can get a kid to understand a skill or help them with their home situation, the community wins.

Trading places: With my wife. I think we’d both gain a greater appreciation for each other’s job. She’s a stay-at-home mom.

Trading spaces: Brazil. It’s where my wife was born and grew up. I’d love for her to show us the things she experienced when she was younger.

Best thing about Sterling: The sense of community and the pride people take in the area.

Shout out to: My kids.