[Serena Fuson]
The El Dorado Union High School District (EDUHSD) is proud to have three administrators honored at this year’s Regional Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Administrator of the Year Awards Ceremony. Sarah Lemke, Alison Lishman and Chuck Palmer were all presented with awards at the Friday, March 11, 2022 Awards Gala celebration. Sarah Lemke, Director of Transportation for the EDUHSD, was recognized as the Classified Leader Region 2 Administrator of the Year. Sarah is an amazing leader and extremely professional. She is very attentive to detail and manages one of the largest departments in our District. Her warm and friendly demeanor create a welcoming atmosphere throughout the entire Transportation Department, and she leads with grace, diplomacy and strength. The daily responsibility of overseeing transportation for a public high school is a tremendous task anywhere in California, but none more challenging than in El Dorado County where our services cover 1,250 square miles. From the sunny skies of the western most part to the snowy hills on the eastern corridor, Sarah and her team safely transport students to and from school in all conditions. When the forecast predicts snow, it is Sarah who gets up around 2:00 a.m. to drive the bus routes in order to advise the Superintendent of the road conditions. Her dedication to the safety of students and staff is paramount. When the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged, Sarah and her team were among the first to spring into action to begin serving our community. With students at home, Sarah arranged for meals to be delivered. When the Caldor Fire swept through El Dorado County, Sarah again demonstrated her strength and willingness to serve. She worked with Marshall Hospital and allowed them to use one of our school buses as a mobile emergency service. As the fire moved across our County, Sarah also developed creative and flexible bus routes to accommodate all the disruption. In a time when our community needed our District most, Sarah stepped up and modeled servant leadership at its finest.
Alison Lishman, Assistant Principal at Oak Ridge High School, was recognized as the Secondary Co-Administrator Region 2 Administrator of the Year. Alison is an accomplished educator who taught music and was the high school band director at Union Mine. After a successful career, she moved into high school administration. At Oak Ridge she has proven to be an accomplished administrator. She has developed personal relationships with the staff and they respect her as a person and a professional administrator. As an Assistant Principal, she has proven to be a high quality professional. Alison is responsible for many transformative programs at Oak Ridge. She launched the AVID program at Oak Ridge and has turned it into a successful transition for these students who were previously not served. When Ms. Lishman began, Oak Ridge was in the infancy of its study skills program, which serves struggling learners. She helped to build this program from one class to four that serves 100 students previously unserved. She also took on the challenge of relaunching LINK crew by empowering and inspiring faculty to elevate the program to a higher level. Her leadership has always been inspirational. She knows how to implement programs and inspire those to achieve great things. Oak Ridge is a better school because of Ms. Lishman.
Chuck Palmer, Senior Director of Student Services for the EDUHSD, was recognized as the Student Services Region 2 Administrator of the Year. Chuck is a valued member of Cabinet. His exceptional leadership and innovative student oriented problem solving abilities have been crucial in coping with the multitude of issues created by the pandemic which were then compounded by the recent Caldor fire. Chuck has worked diligently to develop programs to address barriers to learning, specifically with students in disciplinary situations, students experiencing homelessness, and students who have not found a connection to the traditional high school curriculum. He was instrumental in developing the Alternatives to Discipline program which reduced or eliminated suspensions for low-level tobacco/vaping infractions, replacing them with counseling and cessation activities to address the student’s underlying issues. Working with the Educational Services Department, he has worked to improve guidance services for students, ensuring a robust and diverse vision for future student success is pursued. His expertise in student data tracking has been crucial in providing appropriate and timely student interventions. He was instrumental in bringing the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program to the District. Chuck represents the very best of school administrators. His focus is firmly on student engagement, connection and success. His work with our local public health department helped ensure that every possible activity permitted during the pandemic was available to students. Our cheerleading, band, choir, and other performing arts programs were kept alive resulting in high participation rates. During the Caldor fire, his skills and focus enabled the District to respond quickly and efficiently to provide transportation to students in shelters, food, basic necessities, and connection both physically and electronically through
Chromebooks and hotspots. His outreach to the community for donations increased the District’s resources for students and families. He is an outstanding individual who manages the balance of administrative duties while maintaining focus on building a relationship-driven school culture for all students.
“I’m so proud of the accomplishments of this group of educational leaders,” EDUHSD Superintendent Ron Carruth said. “Each has outstanding character and commitment to the success of our students and works respectfully with our amazing staff, students and community. This was a great night for the El Dorado Union High School District.”