ATHENA — The Athena-Weston School District will have a new leader this fall, but her name will be familiar to students and families.

Middle school Principal Ann Vescio will be taking over the superintendent position from retiring Laure Quaresma, the two women announced last week.

Quaresma will remain with the district part time for a year to serve as a mentor to Vescio.

Vescio takes over after being with the district since 2005.

A satisfying career

Quaresma is retiring after 42 years in education

Quaresma came to the Athena-Weston School District five years ago after a long career in Walla Walla, Washington. Quaresma had leadership roles at all levels — elementary, middle school and high school — in Walla Walla.

“I had an opportunity to lead at all those levels,” she said. “I think that helped prepare (me) for a superintendent job.”

Of the positions she held in Walla Walla, Quaresma has especially good feelings for the time she spent as the district’s leader of its dual language efforts.

“The opportunity to lead the dual language program and really work on language enrichment programs in Walla Walla was really huge,” Quaresma said. “That was a learning curve for me. But with an amazing staff, we were able to build that program and it has taken off at this point. I feel very proud of that.”

She said doing so many jobs in Walla Walla helped attract her to a superintendent job.

“Especially a superintendent job in a small district, because you’re wearing all the hats,” Quaresma said.

A lot has happened in Athena-Weston since Quaresma took over. She led the district through the passing of a new bond, the opening of a preschool and the transition to — and then from — distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, if you ask her what her best moments on the job were, she’ll talk about her people.

“This year with bringing (director of early learning) Kerri Coffman on board … being able to help people lead and give them opportunities to lead, I feel really good about that,” Quaresma said. “It doesn’t have to be all you. I like to grow those leaders, step aside, and then watch it all happen.”

Scott Rogers, chairperson of the school board, said Quaresma will be missed.

“Laure, to me, is one of the best administrators I have ever worked with,” Rogers said. “She is just the epitome of an educator. … At a small school, it’s unusual to get someone with that kind of horsepower to come in.”

Vescio ready to step up

Vescio grew up in Tennessee and started her teaching career in South Carolina. She and her husband moved to Oregon in 2003. She’s been with the school district since 2005. She started as a fifth grade teacher.

“I taught fifth grade until 2012, and then moved to seventh grade,” Vescio said. Then in 2015, I became principal of Weston Middle School, which is a fourth through eighth grade school.”

Quaresma said watching Vescio grow as a leader has been rewarding.

While becoming a superintendent hasn’t necessarily been her goal, Vescio decided to take of the challenge when she learned Quaresma might be nearing retirement.

“Last year, pre-pandemic, we started having these discussions about this possibility that Laure might step away from the superintendent position and that I might think about stepping into that role,” Vescio said.

Mentoring program

Quaresma said she’s excited to be able to stay on for a year to help Vescio transition to the position. She referred to the arrangement as a “grow your own superintendent” program.

Rogers said Quaresma being willing to coach and mentor an in-house replacement made the board more comfortable with the idea of not bringing in someone from the outside with prior superintendent experience.

“We discussed it at the board level late last fall,” Rogers said. “The board was very supportive of Ann transitioning in. But it was a pretty unanimous that we’d be even more supportive if we could retain Laure in some capacity.”

Rogers said the arrangement will benefit the district and Vescio.

“Ann, to her credit, is very transparent with where her strengths and weaknesses lie,” Rogers said. “Laure is going to be a great mentor to kind of round her out.”

Quaresma’s position will be part time next year.

Vescio said she’s expects her new role to be challenging and rewarding.

“It’s a big step to go from a building principal to a district level position,” Vescio said. “I’ll have a lot to learn.”