New Assistant Principal Hired | Vanessa Blackwood to Serve at SPHS

Blackwood fills the Assistant Principal position held by Janet Wichman who retired in July 2022.

PHOTO: SPUSD | South Pasadenan.com News | Vanessa Blackwood is the new Assistant Principal at South Pasadena High School

News provided by SPUSD

South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD) has hired Vanessa Blackwood to serve as Assistant Principal at South Pasadena High School.

For the past 16 years, Blackwood has served as an educator at Crescenta Valley High School. She taught French for 15 years and for the past year worked as a Teacher on Special Assignment, creating a Restorative Practices and Wellness Center within the school. During her tenure as a French teacher, Blackwood also served as the elected Department Chair for six years.

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Blackwood’s experience includes working with the Instructional Leadership Team and administrators on master scheduling and hiring. She also has created pertinent professional development opportunities for teachers and completed extensive training on Restorative Practices for students. She recently focused on building community between students, parents, and staff by hosting Parent Leadership meetings in the Wellness Center and also helped teachers create activities for students focused on social emotional learning. As a French teacher, Blackwood served as adviser to the student French Club and also worked closely with the World Language Curriculum Study Committee approving textbook choices and discussing best practices in the World Language classroom. Blackwood brings experience working closely with counselors, psychologists, and administrators in a team approach.

Blackwood earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also holds a Master’s degree in Education Administration from Concordia University. She looks forward to starting her new role with SPUSD on August 1, 2022. Blackwood will fill the Assistant Principal position held by Janet Wichman who retired in July 2022.