Top of the World Elementary Teacher Receives Spirit of LBUSD Award

News release from the Laguna Beach Unified School District:

During the Laguna Beach Unified School District Welcome Back Breakfast, the fifth annual Spirit of LBUSD Award was presented to Top of the World staff member Margaret Warder. The award recognizes a District staff member who exemplifies extraordinary service to others.

Board of Education President Betsy Jenkins conveyed her appreciation for Ms. Warder’s contribution to the District:

“I have known Margaret Warder for many years and find her to be incredibly hard working and involved as a parent, a community volunteer, and of course, as an LBUSD employee.  I always look forward to seeing her at our School Board meetings, and getting her update to us from CSEA.  She is a most deserving recipient of the Spirit of LBUSD Award."

Superintendent Sherine Smith remarks, “LBUSD is privileged to have an employee of Margaret Warder’s caliber as a District leader. Margaret is smart, committed, and dedicated. She truly embodies the qualities that enable us to provide the gold standard of education in Laguna Beach.”

Director of Human Resources/Public Communications Gerald Vlasic concurs, “Margaret exemplifies service to others, whether it’s in our schools or in our community.  She’s dedicated to the LBUSD students she works with each day as well as the employees she so professionally represents as CSEA president. She’s a terrific example of the Spirit of LBUSD.”

Ms. Warder has been a member of the LBUSD team at Top of the World Elementary School since 2003, and her educational and leadership contributions are impressive. In her role as the school’s Intervention Para Educator, she remarks, “I enjoy the entire day of teaching grades Kindergarten through fifth grade in Reading Fluency, Comprehension, and Vocabulary Development. I also enjoy meeting the parents and students as the crossing guard on Mountain View each morning.”

She continues, “I am extremely overwhelmed at receiving the Spirit of LBUSD Award. It is truly an honor to work with so many talented and professional members of our district from the Board of Education, administration, certificated and classified staffs. It is extremely rewarding to work with our students and watch the growth that they make in reading and developing that passion to read and comprehend.”

This is the fourth year Ms. Warder has been the California State Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 131 President and is a member of the California CSEA Para Educator Committee. She is also active in many local organizations including LOCA, Laguna Beach Woman’s Club and the Soroptimist International. Ms. Warder is a Registered Nurse and holds a School Nurse Services Credential and earned her B.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University. She has attended classes toward her Masters in Education with Credentials at National University. Ms. Warder's daughter, Sabrina Johnson, is a recent graduate of LBHS and is now in her sophomore year at Laguna College of Art and Design.