The Redondo Beach Unified School District Board of Education added two new members Tuesday night as the newly elected Anita Avrick and Laura Emdee, were sworn into office.
The new members’ arrival was in keeping with the campaign that brought the two close friends to elected office. The meeting, held at Washington Elementary School, was packed to standing-room-only capacity with dozens of volunteers who together knocked on more than 4,000 doors and helped win Emdee and Avrick a landslide victory last month.
The meeting was also preceded with a full-on potluck dinner. When asked where the large spread of food came from, Emdee had a one word reply. “Moms,” she said, echoing the mom-powered campaign that had brought about this night.
Avrick was nearly brought to tears at the outpouring of support. After City Clerk Eleanor Manzano swore her into office, Avrick profusely thanked her supporters.
“They did everything they could, and without them, I wouldn’t be up here,” Avrick said. “So, thank you.”
Emdee likewise said that the night was a reflection of the pairs’ supporters as much as the newly elected board members themselves, noting that their community of friends and supporters always makes sure everyone is fed before they get down to business.
“This evening is an example of how we roll,” she said.
She also said that they would bring this community ethos to bear as board members.
“It’s just a little bit of everybody coming together,” Emdee said. “We can do incredible things. Let’s do it.”
The two board members then took their seats on the dais, where they replaced termed out members Carl Clark and Arlene Staich and gave the board its first membership change in six years. The first order of business was the unanimous selection of Jane Diehl as board president. The board also unanimously elected Avrick to serve as vice president and Todd Loewenstein as presiding officer.
Among the items on the night’s agenda was the recognition of Redondo Union High School’s Mary Little as the region’s high school Principal of the Year and Birney Elementary’s Jackie O’Sullivan as both regional and state Principal of the Year.
Little thanked her staff, district administration, her family, the entire school community, and particularly her husband Dan, for steadfast support.
“I want to thank him for his unwavering confidence in me, his endless encouragement, his mostly uncomplaining acceptance [of her hours at the school], his patient listening, his sense of humor, which balances my sometimes very serious streak, and most of all, his unending love,” Little said.
O’Sullivan also deferred credit to those around her, including her own husband, Dan, and the Birney community.
“It’s not easy running a school, but when you are principal at Birney, it’s not that hard….I wish I could take all the credit but really I’ve had little to do with it – it has to do with our community and our great instructional team,” O’Sullivan said. ER
