Element 5: Early Childhood Social and Emotional Learning ProgramsOur first goal of increasing early childhood social and emotional learning programs will be achieved by training an additional 150 parents annually in our Early School Success program. MUSD will also provide information to parents on early childhood social and emotional learning programs available in the community. Our objective is to provide mental health assessments and case management for an additional 125 children and their parents on an annual basis. Identifying mental health issues in our Early Childhood programs will allow us to cultivate pro-social behavior. Our second goal is to expand the current Pregnant Teen/Fathers Program to include 1,040 home visitation hours for pregnant teens, thereby enhancing both physical and mental health. A Registered Nurse will be hired to provide home visits and ensure success of this goal. Element Leader: Diana Raya
For more than 30 years, MUSD has been the recipient of Diana Raya’s expertise and dedication. She came to the district fresh out of student teaching and began her career as a 5th & 6th grade bilingual teacher at Suva Intermediate School. She then became Resource Teacher and Project Director at Bandini Elementary. Currently, Diana serves as Program Specialist for the district-wide Head Start Program.
Her education began at California State University in Long Beach with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and in1982, Diana earned a Master of Arts in Education degree with an emphasis in Educational Administration. She is the quintessential career educator and the District lauds her many years of professional service. Diana facilitates the Mental Health, Health/Nutrition, and Disabilities components of the Head Start Program, in addition to supervising teachers and staffers. She is responsible for monitoring compliance with state and federal regulations at all Head Start locations, while developing program reports and grants. But it’s not all work and no play for this hardworking administrator! Diana is able to carve out quality time for her husband, Bobby, a Los Angeles City Firefighter/Paramedic. They’ve raised 3 beautiful daughters, all of whom are in college now – a huge accomplishment for any parent. A golden retriever, aptly named Goldilocks, rounds out the household. The family is avid baseball and football fans with the Angels, UCLA, and Notre Dame being their favorite teams. Photography and scrapbooking are just two of Diana’s personal hobbies. She says that when she retires, she plans to work at “Disneyland – the happiest place on earth!” And you may find her wherever a Carnival Cruise will take her. It appears this busy, dedicated, and fun-loving educator has found life’s perfect balance. Element Leader: George Muriel
George Muriel is a counselor, lawyer, educator, parent liaison, troubleshooter, peacemaker, and conflict resolution expert. Quite a plateful for a man who’s been in mental health educational programs since 1981! George has a BA in Political Science from UCLA, a Masters in Education from same, got his Juris Doctor in Law from Brigham Young University, and finally received his Masters in School Counseling from California State University, LA in 2000. George has been a school principal, a bilingual teacher and currently works as District Coordinator for Pupil and Community Services. He has also taught the Individual Counseling Practicum for Cal State in collaboration with the Montebello Family Support Center, and is very involved in the 40 Developmental Assets program throughout the District. George also will be responsible for implementing and managing a social marketing campaign aimed at changing attitudes and stereotypes relating to mental health. As any good mental health professional knows, it’s key to take leisure time. To this end, George says he loves travel and has extensively through Mexico, Europe and Eastern Europe. His love of language led him to a course in conversational Mandarin in recent years, believing that language is the way to connect with peoples and cultures. He greatly enjoys his work with the youth in his church, particularly summer youth camps in the exploration of nature. He’s an art buff, enjoys poetry and music and says just hanging with his friends is a great pleasure. Element 5: Activities
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Being a mental health advocate and coordinator of such services requires a lot of gritty frontline interaction with students who face mental health challenges. Working with parents of students who live with various mental health issues requires the balance of compassion with aggressive programs to bring at-risk kids into a state of well-being, and those who do this work deserve a standing ovation for their efforts, and none is more deserving of our accolades than George Muriel.
