Walnut Valley USD has announced the appointment of Michele Lew as the new principal at Walnut High School. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the decision during the May 15 meeting. The well-respected education leader brings 19 years of experience to her new post. Lew has served as Assistant Principal at Arcadia High School for the past five years. Prior to that, she spent 14 years as a Special Education Teacher in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.

During that time, she earned the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching.

It is also noteworthy that in the 50-plus year history of Walnut High, Lew will become the first woman to serve as the school leader. Lew earned a doctoral degree from University of Southern California with master’s and bachelor’s degrees from University of California, Riverside.

She will succeed Ryan Maine who has been named WVUSD Director of Secondary Education and Pupil Services.

Walter Gavidia has been appointed principal of Samohi House in Santa Monica Malibu USD. Gavidia brings 14 years of education experience to the district including positions as assistant principal, administration designee and math coordinator. In his various roles he served as a math curriculum design leader, PTSA, ELAC, SAC liaison, school safety leaders, AP coordinator, engineering program literacy team leader, site leadership department leader and he worked with English learner students, special education students and other at promise groups.

Gavidia earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with coursework in multi-variable calculus, differential equations, engineering and physics, from University of La Verne; a master’s degree in education administration from Concordia University Irvine; He is Project Lead the Way certified and proficient on statistics software, CAD engineering, RobotC and C++ computer programming other software, and was a drone club leader of a high school team that placed first in the U.S. National Aerospace Robotics Competition. He is bilingual in Spanish.