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Laguna Beach Unified School District board honors students, staff and retirees at recognition meeting
Summary
Board members celebrated students’ academic, arts and athletic achievements, honored three longtime employees retiring this year, and recognized staff who kept district operations running during the superintendent search. No public comments were recorded; routine procedural motions were approved.
At a Laguna Beach Unified School District board meeting, trustees and administrators recognized dozens of students across elementary, middle and high school programs, honored three retiring classified employees and singled out district staff who filled operational roles during the superintendent search.
Steve Wade, an instrumental music teacher at Thurston and Laguna Beach High School, presented the Louis Armstrong Award and the Woody Herman Award to students for excellence in jazz performance, saying, "It's my pleasure to present 2 awards, to some very fine musicians this year." Administrators also recognized CTE pathway completers, student artists in county showcases and the district's green teams for sustainability work.
District leaders honored three retirees: Diego Perez for 25 years of service at El Morro, Alex Garcia for 24 1/2 years, and Kelly Shearer, coordinator of career education, for six years. Dr. Hatchell described Perez as "the consummate helper" whose "warmth and camaraderie" will be missed; Kelly Shearer was credited with launching and expanding the district's career education program and increasing dual-enrollment and industry certification opportunities.
Thurston Middle School principal Joe Vidal presented staff awards including the TMS Instructional Leader Award for Glenn Warren, and the Culture and Climate Award for Mika Vasquez, outlining their contributions to student engagement and campus culture. John Shen read a list of community mentors who supported the high school's year-long Authentic Exploratory Research projects, thanking them for "dozens of hours" of mentorship.
Laguna Beach High School principal Jason Allman recognized the Laguna Beach Fire Department chief, Niko King, as a community partner who has assisted with safety and sustainability initiatives on campus. Athletic recognitions highlighted CIF championships, conference player-of-the-year honors and multiple student commitments to Division I programs.
Administrators also praised two district office staff, Jennifer D'Ancio and Victoria Webber, for stepping into expanded roles to maintain operations while the district conducted a superintendent search and while another staff member was unavailable. The board thanked student advisory council members and student board representatives for their service to the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process.
Procedural business was brief: a requested revision to the agenda was put up for adoption and approved by oral vote, no public comment cards were received, and a motion to adjourn was subsequently made, seconded and approved.
Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt the agenda as revised: approved (oral "Aye" noted) — mover/second not recorded in the transcript. - Motion to adjourn: made and seconded; approved — mover/second not recorded in the transcript.
The meeting concluded after the recognitions and routine procedural items; no public comments were taken.
