By Terra Avilla
School finally started! I can’t tell you as a parent how happy that makes me for a variety of reasons. After my years of working as School Resource Officer, I have said it, and I’ll say it again, our teachers and administrators are truly heroes. This week, however, I wanted to focus on one of my very favorite administrators, Joshua Blackburn.
I met “Mr. Blackburn” when he started at Lassen High School, a couple of years ago, and to be quite frank, I did not really like him. He was loud, extremely outgoing, and seemed to want talk entirely too much in the morning. Then it hit me. He was exactly like me. (Bless my heart).
After that, realization, I came to see Josh as my brother.
As we worked together I came to really see who he was a person. Not just the gregarious persona, greeting students at the front gate every morning. Josh is great person. Inside and out.
When he gives his word on something he keeps it. He loves his students. All of them. Even the ones that frequent his office repeatedly for behavioral issues. Correction. Especially the ones who frequent his office repeatedly.
Over the past five years, I have seen this man pray over students, cry over students, lose sleep over his students, celebrate his students, spend his own money on things his students need and the list goes on and on. You can’t fake that sort of investment in your pupils. Any of his teachers or staff will tell you that Mr. Blackburn loves his students.
Outside from being a one of a kind Administrator, so much of why I love this guy is who he is outside of his work. Joshua is a dedicated husband to his very beautiful and sweet wife Christina and a true girl’s-dad through and through to his three perfect daughters.
Listening to him talk about his family is very endearing. Josh is very open about his childhood, and how much being a great husband and father means to him. You should see the way he lights up when talks about any of his girls. It is apparent they are his world and there is really nothing he wouldn’t do for his family.
Despite having a full time career (Shaffer School was lucky enough to recently scoop him up as their Principal) and his family, Joshua still finds ways to give back to community. Last year he was a very dedicated participant in Lassen Family’s Services’ Dancing for a Brand New Me. He stepped out of his comfort zone for a good cause, and even did a tribute to foster children and foster parents (another group that Josh is a very strong advocate for).
Joshua is a soccer lover, loves CrossFit, and hunting. He is true friend, role model and all around great human being, and of course, one of the reasons I love the place we live.
