KELSEYVILLE— When students know what to expect, it gives them a sense of comfort and control, and this allows them to focus on learning. After all the disruption during the couple of years, it’s nice to return to consistent routines. Students seem happy to be back in the classroom where they can be with their classmates and all the school employees who support them.
In education, we spend a lot of time measuring student progress, so we know if things are going in the right direction or whether we need to try something new. It isn’t always easy to tell exactly what’s contributing to student success, but we do know that by creating a safe and healthy environment where kids feel supported, they are a lot more likely to thrive.
One of the best ways to create this type of environment is with dedicated employees who understand their roles, who work well together, and who care about students. At Kelseyville Unified, 20 percent of our employees have been with us for 15 years or more–that means a fifth of our staff has been with us since our current high school seniors were in preschool. And we have 20 individuals who have been with the district for 25 years or more–that means they’ve been with us since the 1990s!
When you do the same job for a long time, you get a lot of experience under your belt. You deal with many different situations and you can begin to predict and plan for the most likely scenarios. And, when you stay with the same organization for a long time, you begin to understand how everything works together, which allows you to contribute to other people’s success and the success of the whole place.
These are the people who make Kelseyville Unified a place I’m proud to be a part of. If you need something, our team will help you figure it out. Our goal is for you to have access to the information and resources so you can make the best decisions for your student, and we want your student to feel comfortable asking any adult at school for whatever support they need. We say it all the time, we’re the place where students come first.
I’ve been with the district for 25 years and have been the superintendent for 12, and I feel lucky to work with such a great team every day. If you think back to when you were in school, there’s probably someone who made a difference for you: a teacher, a bus driver, a secretary, a counselor–somebody. The following employees have been making a difference here since the 1990s and I want to thank them for helping Kelseyville Unified be such a special place.
Tonette Brown, Home School Teacher
David Carrier, Teacher
Debra Davis, Teacher
Joseph Delprete, Teacher
Mary Esberg, Special Needs Aide
Donna Goodwin-Nelson, Bus Driver
Bonnie Hoeck, Special Needs Aide
Brenda Howe, Secretary I
Michael Jones, High School Principal
Eduardo Ledesma, Skilled Maintenance
Elvira Ledesma, Secretary II
Laurie Loumena, Teacher
Donelle McCallister, Teacher
Patricia McGrath, Secretary II
Maribel Mosqueda, Superintendent’s Secretary
Christina Rixen Taylor, Teacher
Maria Rodriguez, Special Needs Aide
Emil Swanson, Head Custodian
Dorothy Torres, Teacher
James Wenckus, Special Education Teacher
It’s a real pleasure to educate and support your students. If you need any help, please reach out. We’re here for you.
—Dave McQueen is superintendent of Kelseyville Unified School District
