Community Corner

Letter to the Editor: Havens Principal Tery Susman to Retire

HPC President Vicky O'Bresly and incoming president Sara Valkonen honor 21 years of service at Havens School by Principal Tery Susman

We would like to acknowledge and honor our wonderful principal, Tery Susman, who is retiring at the end of this school year. It has been an honor to collaborate with Tery and work closely with her over the past couple of years.

Sara and I speak for the entire Havens community when we say that we feel very fortunate that she has been at the helm of Havens for 21 years. In that time, Tery has built a solid foundation for our community – we have a beautiful new school, an unparalleled faculty and staff and a well-rounded curriculum for our children. She has done this in an often challenging environment with grace and poise, keeping us all focused on the well-being of our children.

Tery’s teaching career began in 1974 when she started out as a 6th grade teacher in Ceres, California. She taught 6th grade for six years and kindergarten for one year. She left Ceres to pursue a master's degree in school counseling and put her expertise to work in San Mateo and then Piedmont. She moved into school administration as a vice principal in Albany and ended up in Piedmont as our terrific Havens principal in 1991. We have been so fortunate to have her
in our community since that time.

A typical day for Principal Susman can be anything but typical. If it’s quiet, you might find her responding to parent emails or giving advice to a new substitute teacher. But usually you will find her out of the office – helping out on the blacktop, meeting with parents, answering questions from students or visiting classrooms. As recent fifth Grader and Principal for the Day Henry Cooper stated, “Mrs. Susman has a really hard job and she is really good at it. She is the best principal ever.”

When asked what makes her most proud of her work, Mrs. Susman said, “It is creating a school I feel exemplifies what an elementary school should be – child-centered, community building, purposeful and wanting to be cutting edge in terms of research, application of research and the instructional program.”

Mrs. Susman’s replacement will have big shoes to fill. Tery has helped build a solid foundation of learning and growth at Havens and has also ensured that all of the critical components are in place for an environment of collaboration, learning, experimentation, acceptance and advancement.

And Ms. Susman’s plan’s for the future? According to Tery, she plans on spending a lot of quality time with her eight grandchildren.

Tery tells us, “I want to participate in their lives more fully. I want to travel and read, garden and cook. But mostly, I want to have the space in my life to be spontaneous. That is the gift I will treasure most … the gift of time.”

There will be a celebration for Principal Susman at the end of the school year, but for now, we plan on enjoying every last day we have with Tery, an educator and an administrator who has taught our children and our community the lesson of leadership.

Vicky O’Bresly
HPC President 2011/12

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Sara Valkonen
HPC President 2012/13


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