Walk into BOHS principal William “Joey” Davis’s office and one of the first things you’ll notice is a carefully arranged collection of framed photos on the west wall, each photo telling the story of an educator whose life has been shaped by the people he loves and the communities he’s served. 

Two corners of the carefully arranged array feature his son’s graduation photos.

At bottom right, there is a collage of Gusher yearbook photos from Davis’s days of coaching softball at BOHS in the late-’80s.

Other photos depict his family — his wife, Rachael, and his parents, Billy and Carolyn Davis.

Collectively, the photos reveal the wealth of relationships that have shaped Davis’s character and his mission of making meaningful connections with everyone he encounters — his athletes, his students, and most of all, his family.

The Davis Family

Throughout their 32-year marriage, the Davis’s have built a life centered around their careers in education — Rachael is a social worker in the Magnolia School District — and the raising of their two sons, Andrew (25) and Noah (23). 

And often, education, sports, and family intersect.

Davis fondly recalls the years his youngest son, Noah, attended El Dorado High School where Davis served as principal for almost a decade. Noah made the most of that campus connection, often stopping by his father’s office in the mornings to drop off his lunch in his father’s office fridge, then returning during breaks for quick mid-day conversations before heading off to classes and basketball practice.

Noah’s older brother, Andrew, also attended Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) schools — Kramer Middle School and Valencia High School (where Davis served as assistant principal, although not while Andrew attended).

Fittingly, given the family’s love of sports, both Davis children pursued careers in athletics.

After spending four years in high school playing basketball and baseball, Andrew pursued a sports broadcasting major at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He currently works as a professional broadcaster for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and MLB’s Los Angeles Angels.

Noah, a 2023 graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, broke into the sports industry as a sales representative for various professional leagues.

Though both sons have graduated from college and have busy careers, the family still spends considerable time together, whether with weekend competitions on the basketball courts, to family movie nights (primarily romantic comedies, Rachael’s favorite genre), to traveling to bucket-list destinations like Alaska, Bali, and Portugal.

That their children are grown means Joey and Rachael can “empty nest” by being active in each other’s careers (Rachael even helped her husband decorate his BOHS office) and participate in each other’s interests, like yoga trapeze. (“I’m certainly not good at it. You will not be getting any yoga demonstrations from me any day,” Davis joked.)

That mutual participation has been a cornerstone of their relationship.

“It’s my way of being a part of her life. You know what they say: A happy wife means a happy life,” Davis said.

OC Roots

Davis has deep ties in Orange County.

He grew up here, attending elementary school in PYLUSD, high school at Servite, and college at Cal State Fullerton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. (Davis earned his Master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University.)

It was during his last few years of undergraduate work that Davis kickstarted his career in education as a student teacher and varsity softball coach right here at Brea Olinda High School. 

But BOHS was only the first stop on his three decades-long career in education.

Since his days student teaching and coaching at BOHS’s original Birch Street campus, Davis has held a variety of leadership positions, including instructional dean, broadcasting program founder and teacher, assistant principal, and principal. While many of these positions spanned several districts across the Southland, family and community remained nonnegotiables for Davis. 

At Walnut High School in the San Gabriel Valley, for example, Davis founded the school’s broadcasting program, specifically because he wished to emphasize the importance of school culture through video production.

 And when he later served as assistant principal at Valencia High School he strived to create a culture of community, safety, and empowerment.  

“How people feel when they walk out of campus matters so much,” Davis said. “If you feel comfortable and safe and happy, you’re going to do better in your classes. You’re going to learn more.”

At El Dorado High School, where Davis served as principal, the bonds he created with faculty and students felt “a lot like having an extended family.” 

A Homecoming

When former BOHS principal Dr. Joshua Porter announced his resignation during the spring of the 2023-2024 school year, an opportunity arose for Davis to lead the school that launched his long career in teaching, coaching, and leadership, he took advantage of the unexpected opportunity. 

But the move from El Dorado High School was a bittersweet one.

“It was hard leaving [El Dorado High School], because being at a school, being a principal, is a lot like having an extended family,” Davis said.

But after a tumultuous 2022-2023 in PYLUSD, and as he gets closer to the last phase of his long career in education, Davis decided to “go out and take care” of himself and return to Wildcat Way.

“Brea is a wonderful community and I look forward to serving the community for the 2024-2025 school year and years to come,” Davis said.

As Davis settles into his new role at BOHS, he continues to focus on building strong relationships with students and staff, as they will help them “go farther together.” 

Davis hopes to uplift the BOHS community by “celebrating and recognizing the great things” the school has to offer, whether it’s students “winning the basketball game, winning the football game, or competing in a Mock Trial competition.”

As he navigates the new and existing programs at BOHS, he aims to uphold the “great responsibility” of being principal and hopes to “serve the school as well as the many others who served before [him].”

To do that, he plans on employing the method he knows works best: prioritizing family-like bonds. 

His emphasis on “school culture as such an important factor” of a school family is the reason why he encourages students to get involved on campus. “Anything we can do to improve school culture is huge,” Davis said. “It’s not just a ‘co-worker,’ it’s a different relationship. It’s a family.” 

Correction: Davis’s son, Andrew, is a broadcaster for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, not the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, as originally stated in the story.