I am writing to recommend Andrea McElroy for the open position on the Newport Mesa School Board. My name is John Daffron, and I am a retired NMUSD teacher. I taught elementary school at Newport Heights Elementary for 28 years. I also taught for the education department at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and was a regular lecturer for the teacher education department at UCI.
I had the pleasure of teaching Andrea’s daughter, Savannah, for two years, as a second grader and as a third grader. During these periods of time, Andrea was a regular weekly volunteer in my classroom. Her easy rapport with my students enabled me to have her lead a small group of struggling math students every week. These groups usually included two or three second language students. Andrea was firm, but her sense of humor put the kids at ease, and they always looked forward to their group time with her.
Andrea’s daughter, Savannah, was one of the most creative and talented students I’ve had the good fortune to teach. From a very young age Savannah sang publicly, and her poise on stage naturally led her to an interest in acting. Savannah began playing the lead role in school productions at Newport Heights, and throughout her entire tenure in NMUSD.
Although she attended Newport Harbor high school, she was often asked to perform in productions at other Newport Mesa high schools when needed, including Estancia and CDM.
Contributing to the community was something both Andrea and Savannah enjoyed very much. Andrea began being the parent lead volunteer for our school plays at Newport Heights, and she continued to run school productions throughout Savannah’s career in Newport Mesa.
Andrea McElroy was the most prolific supporter of the arts in NMUSD during my time in the district. Being a performing musician myself, I can’t imagine a better suited candidate for the school board. In my opinion, NMUSD has always needed a champion for the arts like Andrea.
John G. Daffron Med / Newport Beach
