Double agent

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT-MESA -- Under Lorie Hoggard’s nurturing watch, Sonora

Elementary School has ascended to the highest academic echelon. This

spring, the Costa Mesa elementary school was recognized as a California

Distinguished School and won a Title I award for high standardized test

scores.

Instead of resting on her laurels, Hoggard has moved on to a new

challenge -- assuming the role of the district’s director of early

childhood education.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District carved out the new position

to oversee the HOPE School Readiness Program, which started this spring.

The program integrates established and new resources to maximize the

efforts of getting preschoolers ready for kindergarten.

Although the district conducted a search for the position, officials

asked Hoggard to apply because her experience was tailor-made for the

job, Assistant Supt. Susan Despenas said.

“She’s been so successful at Sonora in terms of recognizing the needs

of young children, helping teachers meet those needs, bringing in

resources and mobilizing parents,” Despenas said. “She has just the right

knack of bringing the right people together with the right programs.”

Hoggard, 31, said she always enjoys working with children and had such

a positive experience in school that a career in education seemed like

the natural path.

Majoring in psychology at Cal State Long Beach cemented her passion.

“Through that work, I realized I wanted to work with kids to prevent

the issues that psychologists deal with -- to be on the positive end,”

Hoggard said.

After getting a teaching credential, Hoggard started teaching second

and third grade in Downey. She went on to get a master’s in elementary

curriculum and instruction and completed a doctorate in education.

Working in a more rural environment near Sacramento taught her about

the power of community -- a feeling she worked hard to create when she

came to Sonora as principal in 1999. And that feeling of camaraderie is

one of her proudest legacies, she said.

“All groups we serve at Sonora truly feel valued,” Hoggard said.

“There’s a sense of respect among our families and an awareness that

we’re there for the good of all children,” Hoggard said.

She also brought a systematic approach of using data to create focused

programs to help every child succeed. This will no doubt be an asset as

she hunkers down to devise a school readiness-early childhood education

plan.

As the mom of a toddler herself -- her son, Luke, will turn 2 Saturday

-- Hoggard said she is well attuned to the needs of preschool parents.

“I understand what they’re going through and the need for

information,” Hoggard said.

Hoggard is now doing double duty -- finishing out the school year as

principal of Sonora while taking on the responsibility of director of

early childhood education.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .