By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier Rich Fischer (center) greets community members at a celebration for his retirement held in Cuesta Park June 7. Fischer will move out of the area at the end of June.

A former student from the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District walked into Superintendent Rich Fischer’s office last week and handed him a certificate of appreciation along with a picture of himself in his San Jose State University graduation garb.

As Fischer prepares to leave the district he has served for nine years, he said it was just one token of affection he has collected throughout his career. His office is decorated with mementos and pictures that celebrate his role in the community and in the lives of his students.

“A lot of students come back and say they were well prepared - that’s a good feeling,” Fischer said.

Community members met at Cuesta Park June 7 to honor Fischer’s service to the district. Fischer will pack his things and move from Los Altos to Placer County at the end of the month as he helps his wife with her new business, The Flower Farm, a nursery that opened last week in Loomis.

“I think he’s added a lot to the community,” said Judy Hannemann, MVLA board member. “He’s very calm but good in moving forward and providing educational leadership.”

Fischer passes the leadership torch to his replacement, Barry Groves, at the end of the month, but in the meantime he remains busy introducing Groves to the district and the community.

Fischer said he is thrilled with the selection of Groves, and that Groves has asked all the right questions.

One of his best memories, Fischer said, of his tenure with the Mountain View-Los Altos district is the “tremendous satisfaction” he gained from opening the new alternative high school campus for Alta Vista High School and working with Freestyle High School, set to open in the fall.

“At long last we have a campus worthy of our model continuation high school,” said Julia Rosenberg, MVLA board president. “The vision was accomplished primarily because of Rich’s working relationship with the city of Mountain View and his determination to see that our continuation school campus was on par with our comprehensive high school campuses.”

“I think Mountain View-Los Altos will continue to offer lots of alternatives for kids to be successful,” Fischer said. “The focus on closing the achievement gap will continue and the core values of the district will last after I’m gone.”

As he wraps up his business with Mountain View-Los Altos, Fischer said he will miss the people the most.

“I’m just about the people,” he said. “I will miss the community tremendously. I can’t imagine being in a better place for me than being in this community.”

The job has afforded Fischer many pleasures, he said, such as working closely with the students and teachers in the district.

“The most treasured relationships I have are with great teachers who have made a difference in kids’ lives,” he said. “Teachers never get as much credit as they should - the impact they have is life-changing.”

Though Fischer has sold his home in Los Altos, he promised he wouldn’t disappear. He plans to work behind-the-scenes on several district issues, including redistricting.