Educator helped by school becomes caretaker of its mission

Founded in 1913 with a mission of providing non-English speaking Hispanic children in the Segundo Barrio access to education, the Lydia Patterson Institute still helps disadvantaged students receive a quality education. Among the faculty, is alum Assistant Principal Maria Cristina Woo who keeps the mission of the school alive. “Ms. Woo spends countless hours at the school working on student schedules, teacher schedules, grades, report cards, transcripts, registration, textbooks, curriculum, and the list goes on and on,” school principal Ernesto Morales said.  “I often joke with her, with a hint of sincerity, that we would fall apart if she were not here. It is remarkable to me how she remembers names and even dates of all alumni who stop by to visit.