NICOLE VAN WILGEN MOORE (center), principal at Brookhurst School, is an employee of the month for the Gaden Grove Unified School District. She’s pictured with the Board of Education and superintendent Gabriela Mafi, at right (GGUSD photos).

Terri Rocco was elected the new president of the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education when it met on Tuesday. Lan Quoc Nguyen was chosen to serve as vice president.

Also on Tuesday, the board honored the GGUSD’s employees of the month. M’Liss Patterson is director of adult education for the district. 

Before that she was a teacher, an assistant principal at Pacifica High School and principal at Ralston Intermediate and again assistant principal at Pacifica, and then principal at Bell Intermediate.

The other person honored for December is Nicole Van Wilgen Moore, principal at Brookhurst Elementary School. Before coming to the GGUSD, she worked in the Orange Unified School District as an elementary school principal and K-12 academic content design administrator.

In addition to her professional contributions, she provided life-saving CPR to a staff member who experienced a medical emergency.

The GGUSD is a K-12 system serving most of Garden Grove and parts of Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Stanton and Westminster.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16.

M’LISS PATTERSON is also a GGUSD employee of the month. She is director of adult education.