BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A long-time Bakersfield City School District staff member is retiring.
Youth Services Specialists Coordinator Lewis Neal, who worked for decades “improving the lives of our students and their families,” is retiring, the district said.
Neal went through the district, attending McKinley Elementary and Emerson Middle School.
After graduating his own schooling, Neal joined the district in 1989 as the community relations liaison. He worked in several other roles, including substitute bus monitor and project coordinator in BCSD’s Curriculum & Instruction Department.
He took on the role of youth services specialist in 1997 and “excelled in the role ever since,” the district said.
BCSD said the Youth Services Specialists team — known as YSS — provides mentoring, support and youth leadership programs to help students succeed.
The team serves as a “vital bridge among schools, students and families, providing resources and fostering a positive, supportive community,” BCSD said.
Through the district, Neal also coordinates the PROUD Academy, the Dr. Fred Haynes Award ceremony, numerous Student Leadership Conferences like the Girls’ Leadership Conference.
“It is a great honor to have had Mr. Neal in our district for 35 years,” the district said.
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