After nearly three decades serving schools across the High Desert, educators Nate and Wanda Lambdin have retired and say they are off spending time with family.
Nate’s final role of his educational career was assistant superintendent for the Lucerne Valley Unified School District. At the same time, Wanda closed her time as a veteran school counselor at Sultana High School in Hesperia.
District officials said the couple left a legacy in school districts across the High Desert.
Nate spent a tremendous amount of time serving in Lucerne Valley, first as principal of Lucerne Valley Middle High and more recently as an assistant superintendent of the district.
During his career, Nate was “affable, engaging and dynamic, and made an impact at several school districts” while making a countless number of friends throughout the area, district spokesman Peter Day told the Daily Press.
Wanda remained with the Hesperia Unified School District for the last 32 years. In 2012, San Bernardino County presented her with a Teachers “R” Heroes award from former First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt.
Nate and Wanda celebrated their retirement in May with a party at a Spring Valley Lake eatery, which was attended by former co-workers, friends and family members.
An impact on Lucerne Valley
On May 30, Nate served as the keynote speaker at the Lucerne Valley High School Class of 2024 graduation ceremony. During the event, he took the opportunity not only to share some life advice with graduating seniors but also to highlight the achievements of students and co-workers.
“Nate proceeded to point out all these kids, who they are, what they’ve done, and he made it all about them,” said Lucerne Valley Board Member Jason Hansen. “That just goes to show what an amazing person he is.”
It was at Nate’s final meeting of the Lucerne Valley Board of Trustees on June 6, where the emotions flowed, Day stated.
“Thank you, Nate,” Superintendent Peter Livingston began but couldn’t continue when the emotion hit him.
“Best guy I’ve ever worked for,” an emotional Nate replied while pointing at Livingston. “Best guy right there. I’ve worked with some legendary coaches. I’ve worked with some great people. Best guy ever.”
“You’ve really knocked it out of the park,” said longtime Lucerne Valley School Board Member Jim Harvey. “One thing everybody wants to do is go out on top, and you sir are on top.”
Nate’s arrival to the district in 2018, reinforced what the district had already been doing —putting students first, Day said.
“From the day you got here greeting kids on the sidewalk you changed the culture, and that’s the greatest thing, in my mind, that a leader can do,” said longtime school board member Tom Courtney. “Now every day they (school site administrators) are greeting kids at every entrance we have and they’re saying hello. Everything you have set out to do is an improvement for the kids.”
School Board Member Jessica Risler explained that Nate was when the district experienced good and heartbreaking times.
Risler explained on the third anniversary of the death of Kayden Davis and Kristy Klaus, who would have graduated this year, that Nate was a strong “pillar of recovery.”
“Your support for that whole thing, for not only for the kids and the teachers and everyone involved, but for the community,” Risler said.
She added that Nate opened up his heart to the community and “became one of us in the short amount of time you were here. You’re going to be missed.”
Professional relationship
Superintendent Peter Livingston explained that whatever Nate touched seemed to turn to gold, adding that “Nate is the best hire I have made in my career.”
Day explained that growing enrollment, improved campus site, increased student satisfaction, and added programs were a result of a professional relationship between Livingston and Nate
“They agreed that nothing was more important than providing an exceptional learning environment for the students, present and future,” Day said. “Their improvements to district business practices and school sites resulted in a steady flow of new students.”
Straight into Lynwood
Nate and Wanda began their teaching careers at Lynwood Unified and moved to Victorville in the fall of 1992 after Victor Valley High School Principal Glenn Massengale offered the couple teaching jobs, Day said.
“We were so impressed with Mr. Massengale and his leadership philosophy that we took a leap of faith and purchased our first home in the Eagle Ranch community in Victorville,” Nate stated. “Ironically, the teaching positions fell through at Victor Valley High School due to the loss of categorical funding. But the then principal at VVHS contacted Hesperia Unified on our behalf and I took a position at Hesperia High School and Wanda at Ranchero Middle School.”
After a year in Hesperia, Apple Valley High School athletic director Rob Martin offered Nate the head baseball coach position. He accepted and began teaching and coaching.
The following year, in 1994, Nate accepted the head baseball coach position at Victor Valley College where he remained for 11 years. When he accepted the position at the college, he also taught for Massengale at Victor High.
During his tenure at Victor Valley College, Nate posted over a 100 wins and was a two-time recipient of the Foothill Conference’s Howard Lowder Memorial Award.
While at Victor Valley College, Nate, whose father Gene Lambdin was an All-American basketball player at Indiana State University in 1951, produced All-Americans Doug Kirby and Jake Mullinax. He also sent over 75 student-athletes to universities with scholarships amounting to a quarter of a million dollars. Four of his players were taken in the Major League draft.
Nate coached JV football and freshman baseball at Hesperia High School from 1992 to ’93 and was Apple Valley High’s head baseball coach from 1993 to ’94.
Nate was also the head baseball coach at Barstow Community College from 2012 to 2014 and holds the highest winning percentage of any Viking baseball coach.
Nate also served as the commissioner of the Carolina Shores Collegiate Summer League in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from 2016 to 2019.
While attending Cal State Dominguez Hills, Nate was a utility player and captain of the 1986 team.
“Coaching is really about teaching,” Nate said. “Coaching, teaching, and leadership are interconnected in the context of education. A coach, whether in sports or professional development, plays a role in guiding and supporting individuals to achieve their full potential. Both coaching and teaching require effective leadership skills to inspire, motivate, and guide others toward success.”
“Leadership in education involves setting a vision, creating a positive and inclusive culture, and empowering others to excel,” he added. “A strong leader in education embodies the qualities of a coach and a teacher, providing mentorship, support, and guidance to both students and educators. Effective leadership in education requires the ability to coach and mentor teachers, while also modeling best practices in teaching and learning.”
Accidental administrative career
Nate began his career in educational leadership by accident, according to Day.
While teaching in the Victor Union High School District, Nate was approached by Goodwill High School Principal Beth Crane, who asked him if he would be the principal’s designee.
A designee is a teacher who helps out when a principal or assistant principal is absent. During that time, the school’s assistant principal was on an extended leave of absence.
From that day on, Nate never returned to the classroom. He finished the 2005-2006 school year as an interim assistant principal and then took a full-time vice principal position in the fall of 2006 in the Hesperia Unified School District.
At Hesperia High School, under the mentorship of Larry Porras, Nate cited Porras as one of his most influential mentors in his early administration days.
“Larry Porras taught me to put students at the forefront and to always be approachable, and visible to your staff,” Nate said.
When Porras was named principal of the new Oak Hills High School opening in 2009, his first hire was Nate as assistant principal, Day said.
Nate worked alongside Porras and together they hired the staff to open up the new school.
However, Nate never got to experience opening day at Oak Hills as he was appointed principal of Mojave High School, where he served from 2009 to 2018.
During his stint at Mojave High School, it became the first school in the history of Hesperia Unified School District to receive the highest accreditation status given by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Another influence on Nate’s career in Hesperia was former Ranchero and Sultana High School Principal Mike Smith.
“Mike was by far one of the best principals that ever lived,” Nate said. “He taught me that a strong educational leader should be empathetic, a good listener, and able to inspire and motivate both students and teachers.”
‘Greatest career more‘
Nate joined the Lucerne Valley Unified School District in July 2018.
“Coming to Lucerne Valley was the absolute greatest personal and career move of my life,” he said.
He attributed part of success to Superintendent Livingston.
“He knew I could bring great people to the district and that’s exactly what we have done together,” Nate said. “He also taught me the importance of creating a safe and nurturing learning environment, where students feel empowered to take ownership of their learning and are encouraged to think critically, problem-solve, and develop a love for learning.
He went on to say that Livingston showed him how to lead by example, “demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and the well-being of the entire school community.”
“His vision of always hiring the best people helped us bring an amazing team together,” Livingston said. “He understands the importance of creating a team with a vision of a growth mindset. He had goals for programs, projects, and facilities across the district. The impact he had will be felt for years in our district.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
