Joe Nardo honored for 40 years of service with Las Virgenes
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers FOUR DECADES—Joe Nardo, assistant superintendent of education for the Las Virgenes Unified School District, was the only employee to be recognized for 40 years of service at the Extraordinary Service Awards ceremony. When Nardo launched his career in the district, a home in Westlake Village cost $32,000.

Joseph Nardo’s tenure with the Las Virgenes Unified School is unparalleled. He was the only employee honored for 40 years of service at the recent Extraordinary Service Awards event conducted at the district office last week.

Nardo launched his education career in New York in 1961 as a math and science teacher before moving to Compton, Calif. where he taught math and science.

By 1966, Nardo had accepted a teaching position at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.

“When I arrived in Las Virgenes, I began living in Thousand Oaks,” Nardo said. There was “only one stop light at that time on Moorpark Road (and) only a two-lane highway between Thousand Oaks and Las Virgenes. I could not afford the $32,000 cost of a home in Westlake,” he said.

After two years, Nardo was selected as a dean of students at A.E. Wright, followed by two years at Lindero Canyon Middle School. He was one of the original staff members when Lindero Canyon opened.

Nardo was then promoted to principal of A.E. Wright, where he served for seven years before taking the helm as principal at Lindero for 12 years.

Under Nardo’s leadership, Lindero Canyon Middle School was selected as the district’s first nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School.

Nardo moved to the district office in 1990, serving for four years as coordinator of curriculum.

He was then promoted to director of pupil services, a position he held for six years before accepting the post of director of secondary education. Within a year, Nardo was promoted to his current position of assistant superintendent of education, a title he’s held for the past five years.

Assistant superintendent of personnel Dan Stepenosky presented a slide show of Nardo in his early years—with a full head of hair, mustache and sideburns.

Stepenosky joked about the year Nardo started his career in Las Virgenes. “Joe, I wasn’t even born yet,” he said.

“The biggest changes have been the increased demands placed upon teachers and administrators,” Nardo said. “I had 19 great years as a principal, but the job today is even more difficult. The district has worked hard in attempting to keep the balance of a family feeling along with the tremendous growth that has occurred over this time.”

Nardo s a i d he’s been pleased that the district has embraced alternative education options and looks forward to further use of technology in the classroom.

“In the end, we are only here to do what is best for children,” he said.