If you’ve attended an Acalanes sporting event over the school year, chances are you’ve seen our new Principal Colin Malcolm in action. Maybe he was doing push-ups on the sidelines to match the Dons’ points during a football game. Maybe he was cheering courtside at a girls basketball game. Maybe he was following every pitch and at-bat on GameChanger. One thing is certain: Mr. Malcolm is fully invested in Acalanes athletics. He brings his ‘A’ game when it comes to Acalanes sports.

Now entering his first year as principal after serving as Associate Principal last year, Mr. Malcolm has already become one of the biggest champions of Acalanes student-athletes. With more than 850 athletes competing across Acalanes sports, he understands that athletics are about much more than wins and losses. They are about building confidence, creating community, and teaching lessons that last a lifetime. His passion comes from experience. Before joining Acalanes, he spent a decade teaching science, coaching student-athletes, serving as an Activities Director, and later working as an Assistant Principal at James Logan high for many years.   

Athletics have always been part of who he is.

Long before he was a principal, Mr. Malcolm was a standout athlete himself. A wrestler in high school, he became an NCS finalist as a junior before capturing an NCS championship as a senior. He also earned multiple podium finishes at the state level in freestyle and Greco wrestling. After high school, he continued competing on the rugby pitch at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. (Fear the Green)  But ask him about his favorite sports memory, and it isn’t an individual title. It’s the year his wrestling team qualified all 14 wrestlers for the NCS tournament. Watching teammates rise to the occasion and achieve something together remains one of his proudest moments.   This is who he is. 

His love for wrestling runs deep, and so does his appreciation for the coaches who helped shape him. The person who made the biggest impact was Jacob Perez, who coached him as a young T-ball player and later as a high school wrestler. Mr. Malcolm credits Coach Perez with teaching him resilience, patience, leadership, and how to bring out the best in others. Those lessons continue to influence how he works with students, staff, and coaches today. “He taught me how to lift athletes up and motivate them to compete at their absolute best,” Mr. Malcolm says.

Sports also taught Mr. Malcolm one of life’s most valuable lessons: every moment matters.

After losing a heartbreaking NCS championship match as a junior because of a mistake in the final seconds, he learned firsthand how focus, preparation, and consistency can change outcomes. More importantly, he learned how to respond to disappointment. That lesson has stayed with him throughout his career and shapes how he encourages students to face challenges, setbacks, and adversity.  

Perhaps the clearest example of why Mr. Malcolm believes in athletics comes from a former wrestler he coached. The student struggled academically and often had difficulty staying eligible. But he loved wrestling. By connecting his academic success to the opportunity to compete, the student transformed his habits, improved his grades, graduated with over a 3.0 GPA, earned a college wrestling scholarship, and recently graduated from college. Stories like that are why Mr. Malcolm believes high school sports are about building character first and champions second. Championships are memorable, but the resilience, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance students develop through athletics stay with them for life. For Acalanes athletes and families, that’s exciting news, because our principal isn’t just supporting sports from the sidelines at volleyball, doing pushing ups for the first Natal or  Boselli touchdown in August, or contributing at the monthly Acalanes Sports Booster meeting.  He’s living the values that make them matter.

Congratulations Mr. Malcolm, We are Glad You are a Don!