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Graham Middle School Principal Lauren Petrea is resigning effective April 1 and will be replaced by the school’s former principal, Judy Crates, on an interim basis.
Petrea is moving to another state due to her husband’s job, the Mountain View Whisman School District said in an announcement.
“We support her in the midst of this life change, we appreciate her work on behalf of our students and staff members and we wish her the best,” the district said.
Crates, a longtime district employee who retired in 2013, will take over as interim principal. Crates was the principal at Bubb Elementary from 1995 to 2001, then at Graham Middle for four years and at Mariano Castro Elementary, home of the district’s dual immersion Spanish program, from 2008 until her retirement in 2013. She also served as the district’s director of English language development and continuous improvement.
Crates will be taking over at Graham as the school navigates reopening for the first time in a year. Across the district, students who opt in are going back to classrooms for blended learning in a phased schedule, which started in late March. Third, fourth, fifth and seventh graders are set to return on March 29 and eight graders on April 5.
At the district office, Tara Vikjord has moved from interim to permanent chief human relations officer, the district announced. Vikjord has worked in several administrative roles since arriving in the Mountain View Whisman School District in 2014, including as educational services coordinator and director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Prior to Mountain View Whisman, she was a principal and coordinator in South Monterey County and taught elementary and middle school students in the Central Valley.
Dr. Judy Crates is well-loved by many in this district, for good reason. I am both pleased and surprised that the district was able to talk her out of retirement to help with this unexpected vacancy.