A Message from Our Superintendent

December 1, 2025

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As we wrap up the fall semester, our district has much to celebrate. Classrooms and campuses have been filled with learning, creativity, and student engagement, reflected in our district achieving the highest A–G completion rate in the county! From athletics and the arts to service projects and schoolwide events, students embraced a wide range of opportunities while staff continued to provide the support that makes this work possible.

ASB and school clubs helped strengthen school culture through Homecoming festivities, rivalry games, carnivals, and other events that brought students together and showcased their school spirit.

Our fall sports season was exceptional, with several teams earning League Championships: Tulare Western Boys Water Polo, Tulare Western Girls Water Polo, Tulare Western Boys Cross Country, Tulare Western Girls Cross Country, and Tulare Western Girls Golf. Many of our teams also advanced to postseason play across football, water polo, tennis, and golf. Special congratulations to Tulare Western Boys Water Polo on capturing the Valley Championship, and to Leah Merrill, the Division II Individual Golf Champion, who qualified for the Division I Championships. We also recognize Tulare Western’s Joseph Bermudez, who qualified for the Cross Country State Championships as an individual and set the City of Tulare record on Woodward Park’s 5K course with a time of 15:56. Our Opportunity Education schools also enjoyed a competitive flag football season.

Students continued to excel beyond athletics. At the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, our Ag Issues and Dairy Products teams proudly represented our district and the state, earning Silver and Gold, respectively. Graduates Aledya Ceballos, Brook Fay, Olivia Machado, Tanner Mederos, and Logan Yenigues earned the prestigious American FFA Degree, an honor achieved by only about 2% of FFA members nationwide.

Our performing arts programs also shone this fall. Marching bands, cheerleaders, choir, dance, and drama students represented our schools with pride, earning awards and entertaining our community throughout the season. We invite families to join us for the many holiday performances showcasing their talent.

TJUHSD students were also recognized at the TCOE 2024 Character Counts! Awards. Congratulations to Cage Young (Respect Finalist, Tulare Western) and Easton Powell (Top Honoree in Citizenship, Tulare Western).

We are equally proud of the district staff honored for their excellence:

• Diana Hatton – 2025 CIF Distinguished Service Award
• Ken Seary – 2025 Central Section Baseball Coach of the Year
• Ricardo Florez – 2025 Educator of the Year, Confucius’ Birthday Celebration
• Katie Walther – Outstanding Young Teacher, Sequoia Section
• Hector Urueta – Teacher of Excellence, San Joaquin Region
• Michelle Reindl – 2025 TCOE Educational Excellence Teacher Nominee
• Angela Robertson – 2025 TCOE Educational Excellence Administrator Nominee
• Yesenia Lopez – 2025 TCOE Educational Excellence Employee of the Year Finalist

As the semester comes to a close, we encourage students to take advantage of tutoring, study sessions, and the many academic supports available on each campus. This newsletter also includes information about Varsity Tutors, a free on-demand homework help service for all students. For details about any of these resources, please contact school staff.

Warmest wishes to all our families for a joyful and restful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Lucy Van Scyoc

Dr. Lucy Van Scyoc
TJUHSD Superintendent