Leadership Department chimes with honor of CBSA Golden Bell Award

Peninsula’s five-pillar Leadership Department was awarded the California School Board Association (CBSA) Golden Bell Award for its exceptional leadership program on Oct. 19.
The CBSA Golden Bell Award “promotes excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance,” according to the Golden Bell Award’s website. Principal Mitzi Cress submitted an application
to receive the award this past year, which included explanations of programs at Peninsula, the goals of each of the programs and their results.
Peninsula is the first school in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) to ever have won a Golden Bell. The award ceremony will be held on Dec. 5 in San Diego. “We have created our own original program,” Cress said, “and to win this award is incredible. I’m very proud of the Leadership Department.”
The Leadership Department consists of the Associated Student Body (ASB), Link Crew, Peer Leaders Uniting Students (PLUS), Service Learning Leadership (SLL) and the Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC). Each pillar is responsible for serving a distinct and key role in improvement within school life. This five-pillar approach to school leadership is unique to Peninsula, and, though it has no duplicate at other schools, Cress believes the program is completely replicable.
“This program is sort of out-of-thebox,” Cress said. “It’s very exciting. We’ve been asked to present this program at the CBSA conference in San Diego where we’re receiving the award, and I’m bursting with pride. School spirit, school transition, school environment, school improvements, community outreach…it’s a package deal. It’s completely replicable. Another school
could do it and I think it would be good for one to try.”