Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
PRESS RELEASE

PRINCIPAL DR. TRISTA RAMIREZ TO BE NAMED  

COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUPPORT 

PALOS VERDES ESTATES (May 3, 2019) --  Dr. Trista Ramirez, currently the principal at Palos Verdes Intermediate School (PVIS), will serve as the District’s coordinator of student mental health and support, effective July 1, 2019, Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss announced today.  Dr. Ramirez brings a 20-year commitment to education in PVPUSD, serving as a counselor and a site administrator at both the intermediate and high school levels during her tenure. Dr. Ramirez holds her undergraduate and master’s degrees in counseling and earned her doctorate from the University of Southern California in 2018.  Her doctoral research focused on mental health and wellness in high performing school districts.   

“The safety and security of our students is the top priority for our District,” said Cherniss. “Student mental health is a key component to ensuring that all students are physically and emotionally healthy and safe, and I agree with our parents, students and teachers that mental health is critical for us to address.  With her experience working with students and administering programs, and her academic background, I can think of no better candidate than Dr. Ramirez to be tasked with improving upon this very important initiative so that we have a coordinated effort going forward.”

Dr. Ramirez added, “I am honored and excited to continue my work in PVPUSD as the coordinator of student mental health and support.  I am passionate about working with our K-12 school teams to address the social-emotional needs of all our students.  I look forward to working closely with Superintendent Cherniss, and the entire PVPUSD community as we continue supporting our students to thrive both in and out of the classroom.”