Sandra Nichols Biography
PVUSD Board President Sandra Nichols amends a motion to name the new high school inserting the name Cesar Chavez. The amendment failed on a 2-5 vote. |
Sandra Nichols is a 28-year professional educator currently working for three different California School Districts. She is a Speech and Language Specialist serving English Language Learners in Santa Cruz City Schools, The Coordinator of Special Education for Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County, and currently in her second four-year term on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Governing Board serving 19,600 students in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. She is the board's Vice-president through 2006. Sandra is a 20-year member of the California Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and a licensed Speech Pathologist. She previously worked in t he Department of Social Services for the County of Santa Cruz, and served on the Santa Cruz County Children and Youth commission. She is a mother and a dedicated advocate for children.
As a writer, her essays have attracted the attention of educators around the world. Her Education Matters column appears monthly in the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian and occasionally in other area publications. Her May 2003 essay, "A Win-Win for the High School Exit Exam," was selected for inclusion in "California Dreams and Realities," a publication of Bedford/St. Martins, Boston and New York, currently being studied in California universities and community colleges.
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| Sandra was also a school spirit leader at Grossmont High School. She was one of the best flag twirlers in the league. |
Sandra attended public schools in California, graduating from Grossmont High School in l965. She was an honors student, and obtained her Bachelor's of Arts degree in English, Spanish, and Speech Pathology from the University of Redlands in l969. Sandra was awarded her Master's degree in Speech and Language Pathology from San Jose State University in l979. She remains proud of the 4.0 GPA she earned in her graduate work. She obtained her credential, the Clinical-Rehabilitative Services Credential, from the State of California in l978. For many years Sandra was a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and was awarded that organization's Certificate of Clinical Competence in l979.
For the past 27 years, Sandra has served students at all levels as a speech and language specialist in California public schools. For Santa Cruz City Schools, Sandra specializes in diagnosis and treatment of bilingual students with speech and language disorders. Previously, Sandra worked for the Santa Clara County Office of Education becoming their bilingual language specialist, and briefly worked for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, with similar duties in a wide variety of assignments. Sandra has dedicated herself beyond the call of duty presenting parent workshops and in-service programs to encourage parent participation in their children's education and to promote the acquisition of English language skills.
Sandra was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 11, l947. She moved to California in l948, where she has made permanent residence. Peter Nichols, her husband of 26 years, is a teacher, writer, and editor. Sandra has two children; her son Kelly, 37, is a graduate of San Diego State University, and her daughter Jessica, 26, graduated from Aptos High in 1997 and Sonoma State University in 2001.
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| Sandra supports English Language Learners. Here, she meets with parents during a forum at Calabasas Elementary School. |
Sandra is bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish and has traveled extensively in Latin American countries. While a high school student, she and her family entered a cultural exchange with a Costa Rican family. She traveled independently to Costa Rica living there while developing her Spanish language skills and her love of multiculturalism. Sandra has maintained contact with her "Costa Rican family" and returned to visit them again in l989, bringing along her husband and daughter. Always seeking to improve her Spanish language skills, Sandra has taken classes through adult education and at Cabrillo College, and she traveled to Morelia, Mexico for additional study in Spanish and to take classes for educators.
Since l970, Sandra has resided in Santa Cruz County, originally living in Boulder Creek and subsequently moving to Santa Cruz. From l971 to l974, she worked as an eligibility worker and social worker for the Santa Cruz County Department of Social Services at the Watsonville branch office and at the Santa Cruz main office. In l993, she and her husband purchased their present home and moved to Larkin Valley.