LAURA SCHWALM as GGUSD superintendent (file photo).

Many years ago when I was the editor of the old Garden Grove Journal, I used to have the occasional lunch with the then-superintendent of the Garden Grove Unified School District.

I remember a specific conversation about the state test scores achieved by GGUSD. They were, well, mediocre.

What could be done to raise those scores and improve student achievement, I asked? Well, he said, not much. Students in the district were just, well, average and would always be that way.

I bring this up because this school year is the 60th anniversary of the GGUSD and today the district is one of the top-performing public school systems in the state. Its high schools, especially, are among the top-scoring in the county and in the state, collecting accolades each year from U.S. News and other sources.

It all began to change when the district board selected Laura Schwalm to lead the system. She brought a refreshing “can-do” attitude to the job, with an emphasis on curriculum and contact with students and their families.

In the course of a few years, student achievement rose sharply and in 2004, the GGUSD won the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the best school district with large enrollments. It was also a finalist twice.

She was succeeded by Gabriela Mafi, who continued and extended the district’s progress and innovations.

The point I am trying to make here – in addition to appreciation and congratulations – is this: with the right attitude, effort, and an insistence on higher standards, an organization or person doesn’t have to settle for “just average.”