It was the first day of school for Sea Crest students Tuesday, and the day was welcomed with much excitement and fanfare. Kids donning new backpacks and back-to-school clothes greeted old friends and met new teachers, including some fresh faces on campus.
For starters, the school is under new leadership with Tom Walters, Interim Head of School, who’s served as the school’s interim head during the 2005–2006 school year. With 40 years of experience as teacher and administrator, Walters has M.A. degrees in English and Education Administration from San Francisco State University, and an educational doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of La Verne.
"I'm so happy to be back at Sea Crest," said Walters. "There is a wonderful sense of community here, and the school is buzzing with the excitement of the first week. This will be a great year for our students."
On top of the school’s core curriculum and electives, this year the school is introducing technology in every grade with iPads in the lower school and a one-to-one Google Chromebook program in the middle school.
Other exciting changes include a new director of marketing, communications and admissions, Regan Daniels of Montara.
Regan has more than 15 years of marketing experience in industries including technology, healthcare, and clean energy. Before joining Sea Crest, she was a vice president at Access Communications, where she led campaigns for clients ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. She was also part of the early team of employees at OpenTable.com, and has led communications campaigns for Bay Area events like Fleet Week and the Bay to Breakers. Regan holds a B.A. from Roanoke College in Virginia and an M.A. from San Francisco State University.
Kids in the 1st grade and 4th grade greeted new teachers, Daniel Larson and Lucinda Neergheen, too.
Larson is teaching 1st grade and most recently taught grades one and two at Ring Mountain Day School in Mill Valley, CA. Before relocating to the Bay Area, he taught a variety of lower-school grades in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his B.S. from Central Michigan University and a Masters of Education from Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Neergheen, grade four humanities teacher, earned her B.A. in History, Spanish Language and Literature from Boston University, an M.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts, and a teaching credential from Shady Hill School in Cambridge. She most recently worked as an associate teacher for grades three and four at Nueva School after relocating to the Bay Area from Massachusetts in 2010.
“I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the terrific things that our students and teachers will accomplish together this year," said Walters.
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