Nothing but excitement for new principal

Last month, Thurston Middle School Principal Joanne Culverhouse congratulated her last group of eighth-graders and ushered them into high school.

However, it won’t be the last she sees of them. She’ll actually be following them as they start their freshman year this fall.

Culverhouse will replace Don Austin, who resigned as Laguna Beach High School principal at the end of the academic year. She has been with the district for more than a decade, starting out as a principal at El Morro Elementary School in 1999 and later moving on to Thurston, where she’s been for the last seven years.

“I don’t have fears,” she said of the new job. “I have only excitement.”

Having worked closely with Austin during his five years at LBHS, Culverhouse commended Austin’s leaderships and said each principal brings a new style of leadership.

“I’m very confident that I can handle the challenges of a high school environment,” she said.

As for goals, Culverhouse applauded LBHS on already-attained successes, such as being named a Blue Ribbon School.

“My goals are just to continue the trajectory of success,” she said.

She’ll also bring a strong academic background to the role, with a doctorate in administration leadership from UCLA, and two master’s degrees and an undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

There’s a delicate balance between academics and extracurricular activities, Culverhouse said, and she hopes to give attention to the many activities the school offers outside of the classroom.

“I look forward to immersing myself in athletics and the visual and performing arts,” she said. “I’m just a huge proponent of extracurricular activities for kids.”

Jennifer Salberg, who was Thurston’s assistant principal, is taking on Culverhouse’s former role.

“I’m confident that she’ll be able to step in and continue the work that we’ve done at Thurston and even move them to higher levels,” Culverhouse said.

Having worked at the elementary, middle school and now high school level in Laguna, Culverhouse appreciates the fact that she’ll be a familiar face to many of her LBHS students.

“As I was sitting at the high school graduation, I was watching many of the kids I had in kindergarten,” she said. “The joy for me is to watch these students mature. I think that’s a unique experience for a principal.”