Superintendent announces retirement

Lake Los Angeles – Dr. Susan Andreas-Bervel joined the Wilsona School District as Superintendent in June of 2018. Dr. Bervel will retire from the District July 1, 2023.

During the 5 years Dr. Bervel served the Wilsona School District, there is a litany of achievements she and the Wilsona School District Board of Trustees accomplished together as a cohesive governance team achieving goals best described as distinguished and admirable.

One accomplishment that is particularly outstanding was the modernization plans for 21st Century learning environments for Challenger Middle School and Vista San Gabriel Elementary School currently under review with the Divisions of State Architecture (DSA).

Another very special occasion was when Wilsona School District received the highly coveted 2022 CSBA Gold Bell Award for Community Engagement and Outreach efforts during the Pandemic.

There was no precedent experience to follow. It was all uncharted waters, a situation that was unfamiliar, never encountered before, where there was no chance to comfortably ‘stick to what you know’ to deal with it.

The reality of Lake Los Angeles being so remote became gargantuan in challenges and perspective. Dr. Bervel stated, “Due to the location of the Wilsona School District, families of the Lake Los Angeles community are often removed from available services, especially for healthcare. It has been the vision of the Wilsona School District Board of Trustees for the schools to become the center of the community, where families can access the supports and services that they need.”

This became stark reality as the Pandemic hit and no one and no location on earth was spared.

There are so many more major accomplishments, too many to list in one article.

Dr. Bervel remarked in her letter to the Board, “I have been honored to serve as the Superintendent for the Wilsona School District since the Board appointed me in June 2018, and I have worked diligently to achieve the goals the Board envisioned to ensure our students are successful, academically, socially, and emotionally. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and we have worked hard to put the Wilsona School District on a trajectory that prepares our students for the demands of college, career, or military service in the 21st century. In addition, we have focused on making our schools the center of the community, where our families are connected to valuable services.

“It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the Wilsona School District, and I will treasure the memories I have of the many wonderful people I have met during my time here. Thank you for your support and for your dedication to our students!”

By Shirley Harriman