YOUR AD HERE »

Lake Tahoe school district bids adieu to retiring teachers, staff

Provided to the Tribune

Lake Tahoe Unified School District had a number of teachers and staff retire at the end of this school year.

– Janna Gard has been a teacher in the district for the past 34 years. She graduated in 1970 from Chico State College with a BA degree majoring in social science and a minor in English. In 1971 she completed a credential program at Chico State College, earning a secondary teaching credential. Gard taught English and social studies at the Sale Technical School in Australia from 1972 to 1974, and has been teaching English at South Tahoe High School since 1974.

– Cassandra “Sandy” Howard has served the district for the past 37 years. She graduated from Fullerton Jr. College with an AA degree in Liberal Arts in 1969 and from U.C. Davis in 1971 with a BS degree in Home Economics. In 1972 Howard completed a credential program at UC Davis earning a secondary teaching credential Howard’s entire teaching career has been with LTUSD, teaching home economics at South Tahoe Intermediate School from 1972 to 1978, and English, geography, health, history, and home economics at STHS since 1978.



– Karen Miner graduated from UC Davis in 1970 with a BA degree in Mathematics. Miner completed a credential program at Sierra Nevada College in 1990, earning a multiple subject teaching credential, then adding a mathematics credential in 2002. Her entire teaching career has been with LTUSD. She taught fourth and fifth grades at Sierra House Elementary School from 1990 to 2005, and has been teaching math at South Tahoe Middle School since 2005.

– Nancy Muller graduated from Stanford University in 1969 with a BA degree in psychology and went on to earn a standard elementary credential from San Jose State University in 1970. She taught seventh and eighth English and social studies at Gilroy Unified School District from 1970 to 1971.



Nancy’s teaching career with LTUSD involved teaching reading at Tahoe Valley Elementary from 1985 to 1988, and third and fourth grade classes at the same school from 1985 to 2005. Nancy has been a sixth grade teacher at South Tahoe Middle School since 2005.

– Thomas “Pat” Mitchell has been teaching at the district for the past 31 years. He graduated from Tahoe College in 1970 with a BA degree in Behavioral Science. Mitchell completed his credential program at CSU Stanislaus in 1977, earning his pupil personnel services credential. Then he completed his teaching credential program at CSU Sacramento in 1978, earning his Multiple Subject credential. His career at LTUSD includes working at Meyers Elementary, Al Tahoe Elementary, South Tahoe Middle School and Sierra House Elementary School.

– Jacqueline “Jackie” Nelson has spent the past 27 years serving the district in various capacities. She graduated from UCLA in 1971 with a BS degree majoring in English with a minor in psychology. In 1974 Nelson graduated CSU Los Angeles with a MA in Education. She worked as a program specialist with El Dorado County Office of Education from 1981 to 1982. At LTUSD she worked as a program specialist, principal, staff development coordinator beginning in 1982. In 1989, she became a program director. Nelson was principal of Tahoe Valley Elementary from 1997 to 2004, and principal at South Tahoe Middle School from 2004-2007. She has been assisting the District in various special assignments since 2007.

– John “Jack” Stafford graduated in 1968 from Bowling Green State University with a BS degree Business Administration, and in 1988 he graduated from the University of Montana with an ME degree in Education. Jack taught English at South Tahoe Intermediate School from 1978-1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. At South Tahoe High School, he taught English, history, and leadership from 1984 -1990. He became STHS’s assistant principal in 1990 and associate principal in 1997, where he has served ever since.

– Susan Ware graduated in 1972 from Monmouth College with a BA in social science. She has spent her entire teaching career at LTUSD teaching kindergarten and first grade at Meyers Elementary from 1986 to 2004, and kindergarten at Tahoe Valley Elementary from 2004 to 2009.

– Dee Petrell was hired in 1984 as an instructional assistant at Al Tahoe where she worked until 2001. Since then, Petrell has been a workability assistant at South Tahoe High School.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.