Laguna Blanca School is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Surber as the new head of lower school.
Surber brings more than 15 years of experience in education, and is looking forward to his new role at the Montecito campus beginning next Monday.
Laguna Blanca Board of Trustees formed a Search Committee composed of trustees, Lower School parents, teachers and administrators to identify outstanding candidates.
“We believe Andy is a terrific fit to lead the Lower School into the future and build upon its strengths,” Search Committee chair and board member Hani Zeini said. “The committee was duly impressed by Andy’s positive energy, focus on child development, collaborative leadership skills and administrative experiences, and we believe he will be a tremendous asset to our school.”
Surber comes to Laguna Blanca from Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tenn., where he held the position of head of lower school for four years. He also has elementary teaching and middle school leadership experience at Phoenix Country Day School in Paradise Valley, Ariz., and at Dakota Elementary School in Dakota, Ill. In addition to administrative and classroom duties, he has coached track and field, basketball and football at the middle and high school levels.
Surber earned a bachelor of science degree in child development from Rockford College and a master’s of education degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.
“I’m thrilled to be joining this wonderful school community, and I’m looking forward to meeting each Laguna Blanca student and their family,” Surber said.
This fall, Surber is looking forward to engaging in curriculum development with the teachers and character development activities with the students.
Surber and his wife, Mary, have two sons, 9-year-old Keenan and 7-year-old Logan, and a newly adopted boxer named Stryker. He and his family look forward to relocating to Santa Barbara from Memphis this summer.
Families interested in meeting Surber and learning more about Laguna Blanca are welcome to drop by for a chat and enjoy a summer tour. For those interested in visiting Surber and the Lower School, please call Kim Romanov at 805.969.1085 x415.
Laguna Blanca School is a K-12 co-educational, college preparatory day school. It guides students to greater heights by building upon the 80-year tradition of academic excellence with new and innovative teaching methods and programs. With the thriving global studies program, resourceful iPad initiative, competitive Condor League athletics, and the state-of-the-art academic research center, the school continues to broaden and enrich our students’ educational experience. Click here for more information.
— Jennifer Guess is a publicist representing Laguna Blanca School.