As Cambridge School Committee election results roll in this morning, a mix of incumbents and seasoned newcomers stands ready to guide Cambridge through its heated educational challenges.

As of 11 p.m. last night, the preliminary results of the ballot count showed the winners, in descending order according to number of votes received, as Alice L. Turkel, E. Denise Simmons, Alfred Fantini, Joseph Grassi, Susana M. Segat and Nancy Walser.

These six, plus the Cambridge mayor elected in January, will make up the school committee for the next two years.

Michael Harshbarger came in seventh, some 300 votes behind Walser.

The members seem willing to collaborate as they grapple with issues like testing, school choice and student retention.

With the four incumbents retaining their seats, Fantini and Walser provided the evening's surprises.

However, they were hardly shocking. Fantini had logged 16 years on the school committee before losing in the last election.

Walser was one of a host of female candidates from affluent Cambridge neighborhoods, but when it comes to Cambridge schools, she wrote the book--literally.