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For the second year running, our AFJROTC has been awarded the highest honor by the U.S. Air Force, the Distinguished Unit Award with Merit! This award recognizes the "personal growth and accomplishments of the cadets, contributions of the instructors and mentors, and the support of the school and local community," according to Benjamin Caro, Jr., deputy director of the AFJROTC for the Air Force. Out of 812 AFJROTC programs, 143 were recognized for the Distinguished Unit Award with Merit, and Royal is one of only 19 in California. Our AFJROTC has been in place for more than a decade and serves about 93 students this year. Many of these students earn top scholarships to prominent universities. Some are accepted into the famed military academies after high school. Thank you Master Sgt. Alvin Johnson and Ret. Lt. Col. Ian Fryman, our program's instructors, for your amazing work with our cadets.

“The cadets of AFJROTC Unit CA-20142 work tirelessly to ensure this cadet-led citizenship program operates at the highest possible level. Like all strong ROTC programs, our mission goes beyond participation — it is about young leaders learning to lead by actually leading. Every decision, every event, and every challenge becomes a classroom where they build the confidence and character to serve as future leaders in the military, government, and civilian life. Their dedication and ownership have truly paid off, as reflected in this year’s outstanding score of 97 out of 100. The cadre and school staff could not be more proud as we watch these cadets grow into capable, empowered young adults ready to make a difference,” Lt. Col Fryman said.

The photo was taken during last month's annual Pass & Review held at Royal High School.

 

Epic.

That was the word Carrie Smith used over and over to describe Saturday night when her team of nine Culinary Arts students from Royal High School were named Overall Champions of the annual “Cook Around the World” competition, held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on May 2. 

Most years, Ms. Smith takes a team of high schoolers with her to compete in this popular student cooking competition. Some years, her students have placed in different categories. This year was the first year her students won the competition, beating out high school teams from 82 other schools from 32 states. 

“They were amazing,” Smith said. “I was so shocked by how perfectly it went. We’ve been practicing all year. Each one of them did exactly what they needed to do. It all came out perfectly.”

The students are Emma Balderas, 10^th grade; Axel Childers, 11^th  grade; Cole Heinemann, 11^th grade; Brooklyn Itskovich, 12^th grade; Gina Morales, 12^th grade; Diego Olivares, 11^th grade; Hectorivan Reyes-Diaz, 12^th grade; Rylee “Harvey” Underwood, 12^th grade; and Uriel Victorio, 11^1h grade. 

The competition started Friday and Smith’s team in the third session drew “Europe” as one of the four continent categories in which the students would prepare appetizers and main dishes with themed ingredients. The students were given 90 minutes to prepare 24 small plates from the Europe basket, which contained two proteins and one starch, but no vegetable, which Smith said was very unusual. She was given three minutes to meet with her team and then they were on their own.

“There were four judges and they just kept coming back to us, Smith said. “I can’t help them during the competition, so I’m just watching from the side. The judges were giving them a lot of compliments.”

Harvey Underwood was praised for her creativity. She created a dough made out of black beans that held a chimichurri sauce that Uriel Victorio made. 

“A judge came by and tasted the chimichurri sauce. Then he came back and tasted it again. He said, ‘That right there is liquid gold.’ Uriel was so excited!”

Food Network celebrity chef Duff Goldman also met with the students, and several culinary schools were at the event to talk to the students about culinary careers and post-high school programs. 

When they returned for the awards gala on Saturday night, Smith was thrilled when her students were awarded first place for “Best Appetizer.” Then they were called again for “Best Entrée.” Harvey Underwood received a “Judges Award” for creativity, and the team won “Overall Regional Winner for Europe.”

Still, Smith said they were surprised and thrilled when Royal High School was named the 2026 Overall Champion of the night.

“It is a very big deal,” she said.

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW, RETURNING AND REASSIGNED ADMINISTRATORS!

(Picture from left: Dr. Steve Radford, Ms. Maria Baro, Ms. Laura Miner, Ms. Stacy Walker)

Laura Miner
Principal
Wood Ranch Elementary School

Laura Miner came to the Simi Valley Unified School District in 1997. She taught at Crestview Elementary School and Vista Elementary School before becoming the literacy coach at Santa Susana Elementary School. In 2020, she was named the principal of Sycamore Elementary School. 

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University. 

Ms. Miner is a product of Simi Valley schools, having attended Bellwood and Vista elementary schools, Sequoia Junior High School and Simi Valley High School, from which she graduated in 1992. Her three brothers and her three children are also products of Simi Valley Schools. 

For as long as she can remember, Ms. Miner knew that education was her life’s mission. 

“I have always known this was the profession where I could make the greatest impact,” she said. “Serving my community through education is both a privilege and a purpose that continues to drive me every day.”

She said it’s the moments of connection with her students that reinforces her love for education.

“What continues to inspire me most is witnessing the growth of each student,” she said. “Seeing a child move from uncertainty to understanding, from hesitation to confidence, is incredibly rewarding. It is in those moments—both big and small—that I am reminded why I chose this path. Education allows me to be part of something larger than myself: helping students discover their potential and supporting them as they grow into capable, thoughtful individuals.”

When she’s not working, Ms. Miner spends time with family, attends sporting events, and likes to camp, garden and take care of her pets. She also sings and plays the ukulele.  She is married to a Ventura County Fire Department captain, has one married son, another son graduating from college this year and a daughter still in high school.

 

Stacy Walker
Principal
Justin Early Learners Academy (JELA)

Stacy Walker came to Simi Valley Schools from Long Beach, where she worked and taught for five years before coming to Simi Valley. A product of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Ms. Walker earned her Bachelor’s degree from California State University-Long Beach and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University.

For the last 22 years, she has worked in the Simi Valley Unified School District, first as a teacher at Park View Elementary School for 10 years, then one year as the principal of Justin Elementary School (before it was transitioned into JELA) and currently as the principal of Santa Susana Elementary School for the last 11 years.

Ms. Walker calls herself the “ultimate accidental educator.”

“I had no intention of becoming a teacher,” she said. “I did not play school with my dolls, and I was too busy planning on being the next Katie Couric, or something like that.  When one of my sorority sisters told me to apply for an aide position with our local school district, I did it because they were paying over 10 dollars an hour! I absolutely fell under the spell of working with students of all ages.”

She said she’s excited about the new opportunities available at JELA.

“Not only is this a new position for me, it is a new position for the district,” she said. “I am incredibly excited to work with the current staff at Justin to build the most cohesive and inclusive preschool and Transitional Kindergarten programs in our area. I also look forward to supporting families as they begin their journey in Simi Valley Schools.”

When she’s not working, Ms. Walker and her husband of 25 years enjoy many different interests.

“Disney World is my favorite place in the world,” she said. “If I had to pick one other place to be, it would be at a hockey game. The energy cannot be matched! I was raised a Kings fan and Angels fan, but I am also a Cubs fan through marriage. I also enjoy watching cooking shows, especially competition ones.”

Together they have two children and a new son-in-law, and live with their two dogs and Ms. Walker’s father. 

 

Maria Baro
Principal
Arroyo Elementary School

If Maria Baro’s name sounds familiar, it is because she returns to Simi Valley Schools after an almost 10-year hiatus. She started her teaching career at Atherwood Elementary School, followed by Garden Grove and Crestview elementary schools. She comes to us having served as a principal at Oxnard School District. 

Ms. Baro received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from California State University-Northridge, and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California Los Angeles. She said she went into education because she is a product of great educators.

“I know the power of a great teacher and a supportive school,” she said. “That experience shaped my purpose—to create schools where all students have access, opportunity, and the belief that they can succeed.”

Growing up, Ms. Baro was an English language learner who attended Title 1 schools, and that makes her work in education “deeply personal” for her. 

“My hope is to create a school where our students see their language, their culture and their experiences as strengths, where bilingualism is celebrated and every child knows they belong and can succeed at the highest levels,” she said. “I want our students to leave not only academically prepared, but confident in who they are, proud of where they come from and equipped with opportunities that open doors for their future. That means maintaining high expectations, providing strong support and building meaningful partnerships with families.”

She will take the reins from Principal Aldo Calcagno, who retires this year after helping to found the District’s first Dual Language program at Arroyo. When she is not working, Ms. Baro enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her loved ones.

 

Dr. Steven Radford
Principal
Simi Institute of Careers & Education (SICE)

Dr. Steven Radford spent most of his childhood in Oklahoma, and came to California as a 14-year-old high school student attending Palmdale High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University-San Bernardino, followed by his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University-Bakersfield and his Doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership from La Verne University.

His teaching career went from the Antelope Valley Union High School District, where he worked from 1998 to 2022, to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he most recently worked for the Utah System of Higher Education helping to align career-technical education programs and adult education opportunities. 

While he comes from a family of educators, Dr. Radford fell into teaching by accident. After earning his business degree, he worked in management for UPS, and didn’t enjoy it. His former English teacher had become a principal at a local high school and told Dr. Radford that he would hire him immediately as a teacher. This was during the teacher shortage of the 1990s.

“So, I started teaching for him and I think I quit on him three times during that first year,” he said. “He would take my resignation and then say, ‘I will see you Monday,’ and I kept coming back.”

Dr. Radford said he was worried during that time that he wasn’t doing well by his students, but after that first tumultuous year, he fell in love with education. He now brings his extensive adult education experience into his new role at SICE.

“My main goal coming into this role is to build on the strong foundation already in place while continuing to expand opportunities for our students,” he said. “I want to make sure every student feels supported and is moving toward something meaningful, whether that’s completing their education or advancing in a career. I’m also looking forward to listening, learning and working with staff and community partners to keep strengthening our programs.”

Dr. Radford’s wife, Jodie, is also an educator, and they met on their first day of new teacher orientation 27 years ago. Both having grown up on farms, they shared common roots. They have a grown daughter who lives in Utah and is finishing her degree in finance and a son in the Army who is stationed in Germany. He will return stateside next month and intends to enroll in college. They also have two dogs, Bettis a basset hound, and Martie, a labradoodle.

On March 27, our middle school and high school students participated in the 2026 Ventura County Science Fair, and while there, took home 11 awards for their varied projects. Of the 11, two projects earned first place and two received special awards. Christopher Kricorian, from Santa Susana High School, will advance to the state science fair with his project, "Creating Sustainable Bricks from Recycled Materials." Of special note is Santa Susana High School, whose students earned seven awards; Hillside Middle School two; and Royal High School and Simi Valley High School earned one each. Congratulations to all of our Science Fair participants!

The full list of categories, winners, schools and project names are as follows:

CATEGORY	NAME	NAME	NAME	SCHOOL	PROJECT	PLACE
VC Psychological Association	Lauren Villa	Brienna Johnson		RHS	How Sleep Alters a Student's Headspace in the Classroom	Special Award
Air & Waste Mgt. Association	Christopher Kricorian			SSHS	Creating  Sustainable Bricks from Recycled Materials	Special Award
Behavioral Neuroscience & Cog Psych (HS)	Sarah Ghatge			SSHS	How Screen Color Temp Affects Blink Rate & Influences Teen Mental Health	2
Computations Systems & Analysis (HS)	Sahana Ravikumar			SVHS	Structure Gudied Computational & Mutational Analysis of CD19 Antibody Interactions for CAR T-cell Therapy in MS	3
Electronics & Electromagnetics (HS)	Alex Ananta			SSHS	A Biodegradable Substrate for E-Waste Reduction in Electronics Industry	1
Electronics & Electromagnetics (HS)	Ishaan Sharma			SSHS	Autonomous Delivery Robotic Platform	3
Materials Science (MS)	Aarwin Narla			HMS	Which Materials Keep Water Coolest the Longest	3
Mathematical Sciences (MS)	James Lequang			HMS	Machine Learning and Insomnia Diagnostic Tool	1
Mathematical Sciences (HS)	Arav Majumder	Steven Phan	Shoumik Dutta Roy	SSHS	The Key to Unlocking the 4th Dimention Cross Sections	2
Physics & Astronomy (HS)	Katherine Herman			SSHS	Is the Universe Expanding Unformly	2