PUSD’s Cathy Kosich Retires After 25 Years of Service

After 25 years of dedication and pioneering leadership in the Poway Unified School District, longtime local Cathy Kosich is retiring.

“I’ll miss the energy of the kids because that’s where it’s all happening,” said Kosich, a Poway resident since 1987. “I will miss working with that every day.”

Kosich joined the district in 1988 and began working at Midland Elementary School. There she developed the Primary Interaction Program, which offers help to “middle-of-the-road” students in order to build confidence for success in school.

She then went to Black Mountain Middle School and created a student services program that became a model for all middle schools within the district. Kosich also served as the coordinator for the district’s after-school program, which oversaw the Power Hour Homework Club, now known as ACES.

In 2002, Kosich began working as an education specialist at Abraxas High School, a model continuation school where students who are behind on their credits can get the additional education they need to graduate.

“That has been a real goal and joy for me to have that opportunity,” said Kosich, who is thankful for the support she’s received from her two sons and husband, John, of 36 years. “It was a real pleasure.”

Known by students as the “mom on campus,” Kosich worked to find solutions to situations that prevented students from attending school.

One recent case involved a mother and her 3-year-old daughter. The mother couldn’t afford daycare so Kosich helped by appealing to the community, which came forward to pay for six-to-six day care and a bus pass thereby allowing the mother to look for a job.

“There have been a number of stories,” Kosich said. “I couldn’t tell you all of them—there have been so many.”

Over the weekend, Kosich enjoyed a retirement celebration in her honor, which included a certificate of recognition from the city of Poway presented by council members Jim Cunningham and Dave Grosch.

Kosich says that recognition will be added to the others she’s received from Soroptimist International of Poway, Poway Patch and the Community Alliance for Healthy Minds (CAHM), an organization for which she serves as the vice president on the executive board.

But aside from her service with CAHM, Kosich says she’s not quite sure what the future will bring.

“That’s a good question,” she said. “That’s a whole new chapter that’s going to open up.”