Simi Valley Unified School District

06/06/2026

06/05/2026

SANTA SUSANA HIGH SCHOOL is the last graduation this week. About 230 Troubadours gathered under the stars in front of their amphitheater to say goodbye to their beloved school. We wish each of them a wonderful summer and we cannot wait to see what they do with their lives!

06/05/2026

SIMI VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL'S graduation was also held earlier tonight in their stadium. About 478 Pioneer seniors said good bye to their school, the largest in the Simi Valley Unified School District. Go far, Pioneers!!

06/05/2026

ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL'S graduation was held tonight in the school's stadium. About 410 seniors graduated from the District's second largest school. In a homecoming of a different kind, Principal Reina Zapata welcomed her predecessor, former Principal Michael Hall, to the stage to celebrate his son Ethan's graduation. We are so very proud of our Highlanders, and all of our graduates!

06/05/2026

THE FIRST OF FIVE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS! Monte Vista School, our independent study academy, held its graduation ceremony on Wednesday, June 3 at the campus. Sixty-five high school seniors were celebrated in front of friends, family members, teachers and staff. Congratulations Monte Vista Lions! We know that you will go from here to anywhere!

06/03/2026

TODAY starts Graduation Week for Simi Valley Schools. Monte Vista School will hold its ceremony at 6 p.m. tonight. Tomorrow morning, our three middle schools (HIllside, Sinaloa and Valley View middle schools) will have their 8th grade promotion events. Tomorrow night, our three largest high schools, Royal, Santa Susana and Simi Valley high schools, will have their ceremonies. On June 10, Apollo High School will hold its celebration. Please be cautious and patient when driving near our campuses during their respective events. We are very proud of all of our students, and especially our 1,224 graduating high school seniors. From their acceptance into almost 300 distinguished and diverse higher education institutions to pursuing their career goals and serving our country, our seniors are truly going from here to anywhere!

05/27/2026

Did you know there was a presentation on e-bike safety last night in our community? Did you know that Simi Valley Police Department officers joined our middle school students for lunch at all three of our middle schools this week educating students on e-bike safety? We value and appreciate our partnership with SVPD as we work together to keep our youth safe while on and off campus.

05/26/2026

DR. TOM CROWTHER
Principal
Valley View Middle School
Dr. Tom Crowther begins his 27th year in education as our newest Principal for Valley View Middle School.
Dr. Crowther came to education first as a walk-on baseball coach at his alma mater, John Burroughs High School in Burbank. He then became a special education teacher at the school. After more than 10 years in teaching, he has taught all grade levels in K-12 education and almost all subjects. He also coached baseball at John Burroughs High School, served as the newspaper advisor, and the National Honor Society advisor.
Dr. Crowther taught middle school at what is now Dolores Huerta Middle School, served as John Muir Middle School’s first Title I Coordinator, and was an assistant principal at Muir before spending two years as an assistant principal at Burbank High School.
In 2015, he moved to the Glendale Unified School District followed by Burbank High School. Most recently, he worked at the district level at Accelerated Schools and then Bright Star Schools.
“After four years at a district office I am excited to be in a school-based principal role with students and staff again next year,” he said. “It is what I enjoy most. My goals are to build on the great history, tradition and success at Valley View and to create a school community where all students feel safe, seen, and engaged. I want our students and teachers to show-up every day looking forward to the day ahead in a culture of high expectations and high support.”
His favorite thing about being a principal is connecting with students and teachers during walks on campus. He loves being an active presence in their daily lives.
Away from work, Dr. Crowther enjoys traveling, dining, and exercising. He is an avid Dodger fan and rarely misses a game. Originally from the Washington D.C. area, he is also a huge Washington Commanders fan. He was the head coach and founder of a travel baseball program, the Thunderbolts Baseball Club, and he lists taking his team to Cooperstown All Star Village two summers ago as one of his favorite memories. He has been married to his wife, Jill, for 18 years. They have two teenagers, Everly and Clarke.

05/26/2026

MS. CHRISTINE LOBITZ
Principal
Hillside Middle School
Christine Lobitz came to the Simi Valley Unified School District in 2022 to serve as Assistant Principal at Hillside Middle School. She served in the same role for Culver City Unified School District, Ventura Unified School District, and the Moorpark Unified School District. Before that she taught high school Science for nine years at the Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita.
Come August, she will get to lead as Principal the school she has fallen in love with.
Education is a second career for Ms. Lobitz, who once worked as an analyst for DreamWorks Animation.
“I turned to something that matters, where you can feel and see the change you are creating,” she said. “(It’s the) family career—my grandfather, cousins and brother are all educators. I enjoyed working with kids and I love Biology, so I put the two together.”
Ms. Lobitz said she loves getting to know students and what they like to do outside of school, while supporting them inside the school.
“My motivation is to make students’ lives better, to assist students in making good choices, especially when those choices may not agree with the majority,” she said. “Every student I see being successful makes me smile, and every student’s measure of success is different. It’s when we get to know these students, and build relationships with them, that we can guide them towards their level of success.”
When she is not working, she loves to play basketball, watch movies, listen to music and play with Watson, her dog (who is named after James Watson, the scientist).