Recognizing her nearly 24 years of community service as a Newhall School District board member, the junior high and high school district honored Sue Solomon with its “spirit award” during Tuesday’s meeting.
In introducing the honor during Wednesday’s William S. Hart Union High School District board meeting, Superintendent Mike Kuhlman said the One Hart Award recognizes someone who exemplifies the district’s core values: community, caring, creativity and courage.
Solomon was chosen because of her years of work in education, which includes advocating on behalf of parents, students or school staff at the local level, through parent-teacher organizations and in Sacramento, through her work with the teacher-credentialing board.
Board member Cherise Moore, who’s been on the Hart district board since 2017, called Solomon a mentor when she was first starting out.
Hart district board member Joe Messina presented Solomon with her award.
“Sue is truly the embodiment of what a trustee should be, a person who truly cares about children, someone who truly knows how to make things happen for our kids and what should be,” Messina said.
Messina also made light of his noted conservative leanings as a radio pundit that are well-known in local circles.
Solomon is usually on the other side of the political aisle, he said, but he trusts her as a confidant to ask, “How do I approach issues? Am I over the top? Should I keep going down this road?’” he said, adding more board members should be like her.
“This may lose her some friends, but I’m proud that she calls me a friend,” Messina said, “and proud that I can call her my friend.”
Solomon said she considered herself the “luckiest girl in the world” to be able to have the respect and support of the community where all she’s wanted to ever do was be an advocate for children.
She also made light of her bipartisan friendship with Messina, thanking the board members for their kind words and the award and then adding, to the presenter: “I do appreciate it and I appreciate our friendship — there, I said it publicly.”
