Congratulations to Mrs. Carrie Leonard, who will be retiring this year after 21 years of hard work at Arcadia High School (AHS)! Mrs. Leonard works as an Employment Specialist for Special Education and reaches out to and maintains relationships with members of the community to create work experience for Special Ed students with special needs. She has been highly dedicated to all of the students and making AHS a better school, and we are so grateful for all her hard work!

Mrs. Leonard joined the Arcadia Unified School District and AHS as a staff member in 2001. When asked about how the school has changed since she started teaching, Mrs. Leonard said, “It seems to me that each year gets better—the students always seem more and more serious, and things just seem more organized in general every year.”

“I think what I will miss most about this school is the student activity and just being around younger people in general,” Mrs. Leonard mentioned. “I really enjoyed going out into the community and working with students and people within the community, especially because it also allowed me to meet people that really contribute to our community by working well with the district as far as hiring our students.”

Mrs. Leonard had nothing but good things to say about the other staff members at AHS and hopes to leave them with pleasant memories. “I wish them the best, and I hope they have enjoyed working with me as much as I enjoyed working with them,” she said.

Mrs. Leonard also commented on what she plans to do next, stating, “I don’t have [my post-retirement plans] carved in stone yet—I know I will do a lot of gardening and I’m kind of a forever student, so I know I will take a few classes in something.”

The impact that Mrs. Leonard has left on the students and faculty at AHS is truly amazing, and we hope that she has a carefree, happy retirement. We would like to thank her for all the hard work she has done from helping Special Ed students get work experience opportunities to just being a valuable, inspirational, and helpful member of the community. Happy retirement, Mrs. Leonard!

Photos courtesy of AHS Yearbook