Lauren Berlin has set goals to meet the diverse needs of students in her new job as principal of Alta Vista Alternative High School and La Cuesta Continuation High School. She began her duties July 1.
“I’m passionate about alternative education, in part because I participated in alternative education programs in my high school career,” said Berlin, who grew up in Michigan. “I was a kid who I think got lost in a class of 30 to 35 students, and hadn’t found my voice yet. … I didn’t connect in that setting.
“I applied for an alternative program that my school district had, and was accepted to participate. That was when education shifted for me.”
Berlin describes her leadership style as “collaborative.” She likes to listen and is emphasizing working together.
“We arrive at better solutions when we all work together, and when different voices and opinions are heard,” she said. “I like to be inclusive … it’s important for me to be responsive, but also to listen and involve different voices toward solutions.”
A top priority as a school is moving toward working with a trauma-informed focus and becoming a trauma-informed school.
“It’s keeping in mind how we serve the whole student, and with all of the different challenges the students in our community have,” Berlin said. “And how we can be supporting the whole person.”
As a first-year principal, Berlin plans to get to know the staff and the campus culture and talk with the students. She often eats lunch outside on the patio with the students and hears firsthand about their experiences.
She said Alta Vista and La Cuesta are implementing the Summit Learning Program. Students can articulate what they are learning, why they are learning and how they learn best. They can advocate for themselves, express their passions and have a long-term goal and plan rooted in their interests, according to the Summit Learning Program website. A key component is that all students meet regularly with their dedicated mentors to set goals, Berlin said, adding that students develop and practice cognitive skills through the learning.
“It values and honors the independent learner,” she said. “It focuses on teaching the students cognitive skills as a primary focus, second to the content they are learning.”
Berlin has been with the Santa Barbara Unified School District since 2011, working in multiple roles as a school psychologist at Harding University Partnership School and La Cumbre Junior High School, as a special education program facilitator and most recently at Dos Pueblos High School as the assistant principal.
She began her career in Orange County as a school psychologist and behavior specialist in the Irvine Unified School District. She also worked for the Santa Ynez Valley Consortium.
In addition to having a school psychologist credential, she’s a board-certified behavior analyst, and she spent a couple of years in Orange County providing in-home services to students and their families who had special needs around behavior.
Alta Vista is an alternative school of choice that includes four programs of study at five locations. La Cuesta is a continuation high school in downtown Santa Barbara for students in grades 10 through 12. Both are college accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
“There is no one way that students learn,” Berlin said. “It’s my pleasure to get to work in the alternative education setting because we get to honor, value and meet the students, in whether that’s in our different programs or within the individualization or personalization of learning.”
Teachers can serve as mentors for the students, and are focused on teaching life skills, Berlin said. In addition, the programs often boast smaller class sizes compared with traditional schools.
“The teachers across our programs are passionate and passionate about alternative education,” she said. “I see students thriving in our settings because teachers are taking time connecting with the students, and they get to in a way that’s different than a traditional setting because of our generally smaller class size or the nature of how independent study works.”
Berlin succeeds Elise Simmons, who was selected as Santa Barbara High School’s principal. Former SBHS Principal John Becchio left over the summer for a human resources position at the district office.
“We are a place for any number of kids,” Berlin said of Alta Vista and La Cuesta. “This is a place that feels like home. It’s a privilege and honor to be an administrator and leader in our schools.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
