SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:  Sarah Wahrenbrock                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

310.450.8338, ext. 241                                       14 AUG 2008

SMMUSD Board of Education Appoints New Lincoln Middle School Principal

At a special meeting on August 13, 2008, the Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education appointed Ms. Suzanne Webb as the new Principal at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica.

Ms. Webb joins the Lincoln team after having served as Assistant Principal at Malibu High School for the past four years.  This will not be the first time Ms. Webb has been a staff member at Lincoln Middle School, however; she taught mathematics for six years at Lincoln prior to joining Malibu High School.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity to be the principal of Lincoln Middle School,” said Ms. Webb.  “I look forward to working with the teachers, staff, students, parents, and community in making this a positive and smooth transition.”

“Ms. Webb’s experience as an administrator and her understanding of the needs of middle school students will be an asset to Lincoln,” replied Superintendent Tim Cuneo.  “I am pleased that she will be joining our management team.”

As Assistant Principal at Malibu High School, Ms. Webb oversaw student discipline, classroom curriculum and instruction, and professional development for the entire teaching staff.  She also supervised students transitioning from fifth to sixth grade and from eighth to ninth grade, students in Special Education programs, and the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.  As Assistant Principal, she worked closely with middle school counselors to monitor and ensure the emotional well being for all students, as well as target students.

While at Lincoln Middle School, Ms. Webb taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra to eighth grade students and assisted in grant writing for National Blue Ribbon School and Disney School Awards.  She was voted the 2002 Teacher of the Year by her colleagues and started Heart 2 Heart, a community service club dedicated to assisting a local homeless organization with food lines, clothes drives, and holiday gift donations.

In addition to her experience at SMMUSD school sites, Ms. Webb has served at the district office level as the BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Support Provider and Program Facilitator for Middle School Mathematics teachers.  This role allowed her to apply her knowledge as a math teacher to support new math teachers, assist in reaching at-risk students and to raise achievement, and collaborate with all district middle school math teachers to create a common semester math assessment for grades 6, 7, and Algebra.

“I am thrilled that we have selected Suzanne,” commented Assistant Superintendent Mike Matthews.  “Her focus on academics, her sense of caring for students, and her commitment to learning and excellence will benefit all in the Lincoln community.”

Ms. Webb was selected from a field of forty-six applicants.  Seven of those applicants were interviewed by a team of parents, teachers, classified staff, and administrators.  Superintendent Cuneo and members of the senior leadership team then interviewed four finalists. 

Ms. Webb earned her teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Cal State, Northridge.  She earned her Administrative Credentials from Cal State, Northridge, and Loyola Marymount in Los Angles.

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SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1651 16^TH Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

ph: 310.450.8338; fax: 310.581.1138

www.smmusd.org