Veteran Teacher At El Morro Elementary Announces Retirement

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach residents will be saying goodbye to a well-loved member of the El Morro Elementary School community this June.

Veteran teacher Tamara Wong announced the end of her 31-year teaching career, and Laguna Beach residents who were impacted by Wong throughout her long career are encouraged to help celebrate her retirement.

Wong touched the lives of generations of El Morro Elementary students by ensuring their minds were full of knowledge, and their bellies full of food. From the first-day-of-school pancake breakfast to the Chinese New Year dumplings, Wong displayed an exemplary love for her work and students throughout her career.

Wong also influenced her student's the important lesson of giving back. With the help of volunteers and parents, Wong and her students created panda cupcakes and held a bake sale at school, with all proceeds going toward The Panda International Foundation.

"Mrs. Wong always went above-and-beyond to motivate her students to learn the 3rd grade curriculum, as well as to participate-in-the-world-around-them through field trips to downtown Laguna and fundraisers which helped others globally," The Detweiler family wrote in a news release. "The positive impact Mrs. Wong had on her students' lives was invaluable! We feel blessed to have had Mrs. Wong teach both of our boys."

Laguna Beach residents who want to celebrate Wong's career and retirement are invited to join a surprise retirement celebration for the teacher on June 5 at El Morro Elementary's multipurpose room between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to RSVP before May 27 by sending an email to mrs.wongfanclub@gmail.com.

If you or a member of your family is a past or present student from Wong's class, feel free to share a brief note about Wong and the impact she had on your life. Notes can be emailed to mrs.wongfanclub@gmail.com by May 27.