New principal keeps ‘open-door’ policy

Molly Shore

When the school year begins in September, students at Luther

Burbank Middle School will be greeted by newly appointed Principal

Wanda Liddell Armstrong, who steps into the post vacated by retiring

Principal Marilyn Ramsey.

Armstrong, 56, officially started her new job this week. However,

after a short vacation, she will move into her new office Monday.

“I was simply overjoyed,” Armstrong said of being chosen for the

job.

Prior to this appointment, Armstrong, who has a doctorate degree

in curriculum instruction, was assistant principal of instruction and

counseling at John Muir Middle School since August 1999.

“At John Muir, I was always in the classroom,” Armstrong said,

adding that she will continue that at Luther.

“You can always do paperwork at the end of the day,” she said.

During her tenure at Muir, Armstrong was instrumental in focusing

teachers on the California Content Standards, which outline what

children should learn at each grade level.

Armstrong began her educational career in 1967, teaching math in

her home state of Arkansas. In 1977, she moved to California, where

she taught seventh and eighth grades in Inglewood. Moving up through

the ranks in Inglewood, Armstrong became an administrator at

Morningside High School in 1993, when she moved to Burbank.

“My door will always be open to the community and the students of

Luther Burbank Middle School,” Armstrong said.