LAHS names Jeff Actkinson its 2012 Hero of the Heart

The following information was released by Los Alamitos Unified School District. It was written by Phil Bowen, Assistant Principal of Los Alamitos High School, who presented the award to Jeff Actkinson at the march 28, 2012, meeting of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Trustees.

At LAHS we like to hang our hat on balance.

We have strong academics, strong arts, strong students of character, diverse activities and clubs, and strong athletics to put the icing on the cake.

I say this next comment in a very positive light, but one person who has very little time for balance, however, is Jeff Actkinson.

I don’t know if he’ll take that as a compliment or not, but it is certainly meant as one! Because we are the beneficiaries of the bulk of his time!

He, along with his family, are always at LAHS. I’m fairly certain every member of his family bleeds four colors. They attend every game, volunteer countless hours at everything from registration to booster functions, come to PTSA meetings, serve on hiring committees, and are voices of reason and positivity in the community.

Jeff has gone above and beyond doing these things to serve as booster club president (along with Randy Platt) for Los Alamitos High School Lacrosse (LAX). Both he and Randy are great liaisons and conduits for information between our community, athletes, LAX, and our school. They are a big reason why it is a sport right now for both boys and girls at LAHS. Jeff communicates very well with coaches and parents, and is very approachable for both parents and administration when there are concerns. He always handles things with a “no problem” attitude and de-escalates situations whenever he can–which I really appreciate.

Perhaps the thing that we currently take for granted the most about Jeff is the time, energy, and skill set that he has.

I’m guessing that the bulk of our community just assumes he’s on the payroll with the amount of time he spends repairing sprinkler heads, filling in holes on fields, and seeding dead patches where grass used to be. In our economy, it is even more impressive to figure out that much of the time this work is done out of his own pocket – just because he knows it is needed and he wants the best for the kids in our programs.

He truly stands out, even though we have many dedicated parents that make our co-curricular programs work and do many of the same things for their programs.

Jeff is a star and a person willing to go the extra mile for the things he believes in. And when he does, everything he touches turns to gold.

We are lucky that we have benefited as a district and school for years due to his and his family’s dedication to our success

That’s why he is one of this year’s LAHS Heroes of the Heart.

Featured photo

Pictured left to right: Phil Bowen, assistant principal at Los Alamitos High School; Shannon Actkinson, wife of Jeff; Jeff Actkinson; Meg Cutuli, President of Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Trustees. Courtesy photo.