Educators from Dingeman, Wilson, Crawford are SD Unified 'Teachers of the Year' 2014

Innovative educators from Dingeman Elementary, Wilson Middle and Crawford High schools have been named San Diego Unified School District 2014 Teachers of the Year.

Sara Church

Khamphet Pease

Ken Herschman

Sara Church, a third-grade teacher at Dingeman Elementary School in Scripps Ranch; Khamphet Pease, a technology teacher at Wilson Middle School in City Heights; and Ken Herschman, a math teacher at Crawford High, are the educators who will be honored at the district¹s Day of the Teacher celebration, scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Lewis Middle School, 5170 Greenbrier Ave. (92120) in Allied Gardens. The celebration is free and open to the public.

“The dedication of all our teachers to teach, to engage, to inspire and to care about our students amazes me,” said Supt. Cindy Marten. “Our three Teachers of the Year exemplify the remarkable work being done every day in classrooms across the district. I am proud to work with such committed individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to doing what’s best for children.”

Runners up for this year's honors are: Margarita Idos, grade one, Zamorano Fine Arts Academy; Dennis Gildehaus, grades 6 and 8, physical education, Pacific Beach Middle School; and Jaimee Rojas, grade 9, humanities, e3 Civic High. In addition to the winners and runners-up, Teachers of the Year from each school in the district are also scheduled to appear and be recognized by the Board of Education.

Sponsors of the event are the San Diego Padres Baseball Club, San Diego Gas and Electric Co., The Standard, California Schools VEBA, Mission Federal Credit Union, California Coast Credit Union, eLiveLife.com, San Diego Education Association, and ProFlowers.

Teacher of the Year candidates go through a rigorous selection process, first being selected by the staff members at their school, then a panel including former teachers of the year. San Diego Unified¹s Teachers of the Year and runners-up are eligible to apply for San Diego county Teacher of the Year, part of the process leading to the national Teacher of the Year. The county Teacher of the Year ceremony will be held this fall and is organized by the San Diego County Office of Education.

The Day of the Teacher celebration is a traditional event on the Board of Education calendar. All Board members and senior district staff are scheduled to attend. A pre-meeting reception is catered by students from culinary-arts classes in the College Career and Technical Education program. Music is provided by the Lewis Middle School Jazz Band.

Find out more about the program by visiting its web page at http://www.sandi.net/toy.

San Diego County “A Salute to Teachers” awards gala slated for Saturday

The San Diego County Teacher of the Year awards will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at the annual “A Salute to Teachers” event, sponsored by Cox Communications and the San Diego County Office of Education. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at the Balboa Theater in downtown San Diego and will also be televised live on Cox San Diego Channel 4.

This year’s event will highlight several district teachers and students. San Diego Unified students will be performing in three of the entertainment acts, including the Mission Bay High School Preservationists, one of the nation's premier traditional youth jazz bands; Chamber Bravura, nationally ranked a cappella group comprised of middle school and high school students from Scripps Ranch, under the direction of Katherine Girvin from Marshall Middle School; and sisters and vocalists, Nicole and Natalie de Kozan, students at Marshall Middle School and Scripps Ranch High School respectively.

In addition to these outstanding students, two San Diego Unified teachers will be receiving special awards: Lara Dickens from Henry High School has been named the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation 2013 Environmental Educator, and Patrick Trotter from Bethune K-8 has been named the Procopio 2013 Science and Technology Educator. A short video about each of the teachers will be shown at the ceremony and they will receive their award from the corresponding sponsor on stage.

Of course the culmination of the evening will be the announcement of the 2013-14 County Teachers of the Year. San Diego Unified has six outstanding candidates vying for the title of County Teacher of the Year. They include Kenneth Hughes from Lewis Middle, Jessica Graham from Kearny High Science Connections & Technology, Lauren Robinson-Hunt from CPMA, Amy Sanders from Nye Elementary, David Weber from Preuss UCSD and Angela Wolde from Euclid Elementary. Learn more about the teachers.

Three named San Diego Unified Teachers of the Year

IN THE NEWS: Three educators from the San Diego Unified School District have been named 2013 Teachers of Year.  First-grade teacher Angela Wolde from Euclid Elementary School, Lewis Middle School history teacher Kenneth Hughes and English teacher Jessica Graham from Kearny High School received the honor this year. Read more from UT San Diego»

IN THE NEWS: Aztec Teachers Saluted

Elementary Teacher of the Year Patti Read is the second of three generations to attend SDSU. Read more from SDSU NewsCenter»

Teachers of the Year Honored by San Diego Unified School District

Ellie Vandiver

Three teachers get the big honors, but each San Diego Unified school's teacher of the year will be honored during ceremonies Tuesday night at Madison High School.

A former nurse, a high-school dropout and a second-generation staff member are San Diego Unified's 2012 Teachers of the Year. They, along with runners up, are eligible to compete for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year.

The 2012 teachers are: Elle Vandiver, biomedical sciences, University City High School; Joey Lepetri, English/history/video, Marshall Middle School; and Patti Read, third grade Special Education, Lindbergh/Schweitzer Elementary School.

“Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do,” said Superintendent Bill Kowba. “This year’s Teachers of the Year, selected by a committee of their peers, are an extraordinary group of individuals who exhibit passion for their profession and compassion for their students in their own unique ways.They are representative of the thousands of district teachers who each day inspire and enable students to work hard, strive for their best and ultimately achieve success.”

Joey Lepetri

Tuesday's ceremony will honor Teachers of the Year from each school, along with the new National Board Certified Teachers. In addition, the San Diego  Education Fund will introduce its 2011-12 Future Educator Scholars, MASHIN
Scholars and STEM Scholar. It is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at Madison High School, 4833 Dolvia Drive. The event is free and open to the public; it is also a regular Board of Education meeting.

Read discovered her interest in teaching students who face physical and health challenges at the age of five, when she started spending her summer vacations volunteering in her father’s medical therapy unit that was housed at Lindbergh/Schweitzer.In her 32 years of experience, she has enjoyed a lifetime of celebrating her students’ accomplishments.

“I want students to always feel successful in whatever they're doing," she said. "At the same time, what are we learning from it, and what skills are we getting from this?"

Patti Read

Lepetri struggled as a young student, eventually dropping out of high school.Today, he looks to make connections with students who are growing up in tough circumstances. Once that connection is made, learning comes easier.
"When I was 19, I realized that I was missing something in my life, and that was my education," he said. "The educational journey transformed my life."

Vandiver began her career as a registered nurse in Michigan. She discovered her passion for teaching after working with high school interns in her hospital’s intensive care unit. Now in her 12th year of teaching, Vandiver strives to help her students see connections between the curriculum and the real world,having seen more than 20 of her students become nurses, as well as doctors, medical researchers and other occupations in the medical field.Her challenging courses also let students know if the field is really for them.

"Taking this real-world knowledge and bringing it to the kids is what I strive for every day," she said. "Because I have that background, I can open doors."

Read, Lepetri and Vandiver will compete for San Diego County Teacher ofthe Year, along with the district’s three Runners-up, Garth Hebbler from Rolando Park Elementary,Steven Santana from Lewis Middle School, and Michael Pedersen from Serra High.

News Coverage

• San Diego Union-Tribune
• KPBS/City News Service

CHAMPs Teacher Cited As Having 'Life-Changing Academic Influence'

Jonathan Winn, calculus teacher at Crawford High's School of Community Health and Medical Practices (CHAMPs), was recently honored by the Carlston Family Foundation as an Outstanding Teacher of America.

Honorees are nominated by former students for having a profound, life-changing academic influence on their lives. 

"Mr. Winn was my most exceptional teacher," said one student. "He never discriminated against any student, yet, there were so many of us who were ill prepared and did not have even basic math skills. However, everyone was welcome to take his class.

"He would take extra time to re-teach physics or geometry if we did not have the foundation. He helped us do things we never thought were possible. He was determined we would learn Calculus. He pushed us because he believed in us. Because of his inspiration took and passed the AP Calculus exam and also took and passed the AP History and Psychology Exams. He made me believe in myself." 

Winn was one of five California teachers to receive this honor given to educators who, by their own example, demonstrate the value of knowledge through their commitment to their students' academic successes.

Winn was named San Diego Unified's 2011 High School Teacher of the Year in May.

Read more on the Carlston Family Foundation website.

IN THE NEWS: Interview with co-Teacher of the Year, Jonathan Winn

How does a brand new teacher quit after his first two years because he was so miserable, to come back to create the most popular class on campus? Read more from What's So Special»

IN THE NEWS: Crawford High worked its magic on him

After his first two years of teaching, Jonathan Winn was sure he’d chosen the wrong profession. He didn’t feel supported, and he had no control or management over his students. So, he spent some time in Thailand to simplify his life, moved back to San Diego and cashed out his retirement, and tried to figure out what to do next. To make enough money to pay bills, he did a bit of substitute teaching, which led him to Crawford High Educational Complex. That’s when things changed. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»

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Watch video on Jonathan Winn

IN THE NEWS: Thurgood Marshall 'Teacher of the Year' Profiled

Getting the right answer is fine, but Jean Chalupsky is much more interested in getting her students to really think deeply about how they’ve come to whatever answer they give, whether it’s right or wrong. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»

IN THE NEWS: Thurgood Marshall 'Teacher of the Year' Profiled

'When in search of an answer, it’s the journey that’s important'

Getting the right answer is fine, but Jean Chalupsky is much more interested in getting her students to really think deeply about how they’ve come to whatever answer they give, whether it’s right or wrong. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»

IN THE NEWS: Serra Teacher a Finalist for Presidential Award

A science teacher at Serra High School in Tierrasanta who has been a county teacher of the year is one of six state finalists for a prestigious presidential math and science teaching award. Ericka Senegar-Mitchell was nominated by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson yesterday. She is the only nominee from San Diego County.

• Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»
• News release from state Superintendent Tom Torlakson»
• More on Ericka Senegar-Mitchell»

Dr. Senegar-Mitchell Named Finalist for California Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Serra High School science teacher Dr. Ericka Senegar-Mitchell for receiving the 2011 State of California Teacher of the Year finalist award at a gala ceremony, held in Sacramento on April 11. State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson (pictured here) presented Senegar-Mitchell with the award. Dr. David Lorden, Area 8 Superintendent and Serra High Principal Michael Jimenez also made the trip to the state capital to support Senegar-Mitchell, who was the district’s 2010 High School Teacher of the Year as well as a San Diego County Teacher of the Year.

As a general and advanced placement biology teacher at Serra, Dr. Senegar-Mitchell embraces curiosity in her classroom and believes that education is the key to overcoming poverty. Her mission as a teacher is to promote literacy through scientific discovery. Founder and director of the “Science in the City Outreach Program,” a partnership with commercial life science industry leaders, she has since founded “Ladies of Science in the City,” a group of 20 young women who have a passion for science. With the help of dedicated teachers, Senegar-Mitchell was able to escape the violence and the poverty of the inner city, and she hopes to do the same for her students. She has been teaching for 14 years.  The district congratulations Dr. Ericka Senegar-Mitchell on this latest accomplishment.