CJUSD Leaders Earn Regional Honors

COLTON>> Colton Joint Unified School District Superintendent Jerry Almendarez and Director of Educational Services (7-12), Dr. Tina Petersen, have earned leadership honors from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). Almendarez has been named Superintendent of the Year, along with co-recipient, Ron Williams from Victor Valley Unified High School District. Petersen has been named Career/Technical Education Administrator of the Year. Both Almendarez and Petersen will be feted at the ACSA Region 12 Spring Celebration Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 20. “I am humbled by this incredible honor, which is a reflection of the hard work of our amazing Colton Joint Unified School District team,” Almendarez stated. “It takes all of us working together as a school district and community to ensure the very best outcomes for our students, and I am proud to serve in a district where students and families truly are everyone’s top priority.” Almendarez is a proud product of Colton schools and has been Superintendent of the Colton Joint Unified School District since 2010. He previously served as assistant superintendent of human resources, and director of human resources, as well as a principal, assistant principal and math teacher in the district. His leadership focuses largely on student achievement, community involvement and collaboration between all employee groups. In 2013, he formed CJUSD’s Community Cabinet as part of his Purposeful Community project to bring the business, government, non-profit and educational communities together to work toward common goals, such as preparing students for the workforce. This fall, this group spearheaded the region’s first College and Career Fair, which drew 3,000 students and parents. Almendarez also serves as an East Valley Lead for San Bernardino County’s Alliance for Education and represents East Valley superintendents on the San Bernardino County District Advocates for Better Schools (SANDABS) Executive Committee. Petersen is now in her 25th year working for CJUSD. She worked for 16 years as a Career Technical Education teacher. She later served five years as Assistant Principal for Bloomington High School and Colton High School and two years as Bloomington High School Principal. “I have always appreciated CJUSD’s continued commitment to Career Technical Education and our partnership with the Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program, which allows us to establish quality programs and hire quality teachers to provide the necessary skills and training for our students when they enter the workforce upon high school or college graduation,” Petersen said.