A proud leader with an exciting year ahead of him, Mr Buljan is ready to make a difference for the Vikings as the new principal of Oakmont High School.
Buljan was appointed to lead Oakmont as of the 2024-2025 school year. He served as an elementary, middle, and high school educator before becoming a principal here. Buljan intends to voice his opinion on many drastic changes that are on the way for Oakmont and keep up the school spirit; he has developed a passion for the excitement that comes with football games and rousing events.
Previously, Buljan began his journey at Roseville High School instead of attending Oakmont with his peers. As he is today, he was very involved; this included being in four sports and a yearbook editor. Buljan shares that Roseville and Oakmont were rivals when it came down to sports, which they still are today.
At the time, Buljan aspired to be a teacher once he graduated from Roseville and successfully achieved his goal. He became a kindergarten teacher and soon taught many grade levels. Later on, Buljan knew that he wanted to acquire a leadership position, knowing that he loved working with students and being involved in what he could do to improve a student’s experience at school.
“Once I got into teaching, I became a part of the union– the teachers union, the more leadership roles that way,” Buljan said. “I enjoyed doing that and helping out people, counseling people, and doing more of the leadership stuff.”
Although Buljan’s role is to oversee the staff and students, it’s not the only perk of his job. One of Buljan’s great responsibilities is to contribute new ideas for the betterment of the school.
Many improvements that are yet to be made will advance Oakmont. Over the next 2-5 years, Buljan states that the district will invest 35-40 million dollars which will be taken into great consideration for new opportunities. This includes new classes that involve dual enrollment and larger classrooms. As one can tell, the majority of students can unanimously agree that the classrooms aren’t the most comfortable.
Another vision that Buljan has for Oakmont is for the programs to go above and beyond the minimum requirements. He hopes that the students will take advantage of their opportunities and carry it onto the next step in their education. Buljan emphasizes that he wants the programs to essentially make a difference and continue to be successful in empowering students.
“I want our programs to not just skim the surface but go deep,” Buljan said.
The responsibilities of a principal are often overlooked for it’s not always “running the school”, but being in a position where students look up to you to make a positive impact and problem-solve as well. Buljan shares that he spends most of his time working with staff members and students to be on the lookout for parent concerns or issues regarding upcoming events.
“There is a lot of people who get into this profession as an administrator and they think that they’re going to be educational leaders but that’s probably one of the last things you do,” Buljan said. “You are more of a human resources person, an HR person where you are dealing with student issues and parent issues.”
Buljan makes a grand entrance at rallies and football games that truly shows how devoted he is to the school’s community. He looks forward to “unleashing the Viking spirit” with more engaging events and student participation. If there’s one thing that everyone knows about Buljan, it’s that he never fails to make a difference; even if it’s making time for a student’s interview.
“I am the type of principal that likes to bring energy to a school and I love to see the new energy going on, the new engagement with kids,” Buljan said.
