Newsroom | Archive 2006
Riverside County Teachers of the Year selected
Dr. David Long, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, today (May 26, 2006) announced the 2007 Riverside County Teachers of the Year. They are: Patricia Ann Carratello (Hemet Unified), Jackie Martin (Corona-Norco Unified), and Karen Staples (Alvord Unified).
They will represent more than 20,000 teachers from Riverside County’s 23 local school districts in the 2007 California Teacher of the Year competition. Winners are typically announced in November. Five state winners will be chosen. One of the state winners will enter the National Teacher of the Year contest, to be announced next May.
“These teachers represent the thousands of dedicated individuals who are responsible for continuing student success and improved academic achievement in Riverside County,” Long said. “We have been fortunate to have a National Teacher of the Year (Chauncey Veatch 2002) and currently a California State Teacher of the Year (Shelbi Wilson 2006) in recent years from Riverside County. We wish these teachers the best of luck as they proceed to the next level of competition.”
Patricia Ann Carratello teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the Idyllwild School in the Hemet Unified School District. She has been teaching a total of 29 years, including 15 at her current site. She received her bachelors degree from California State University, Fullerton, and her masters degree in education from California State University, Los Angeles. She has won a Golden Apple Award, the site and district Teacher of the Year awards. Nominators said, “The staff at Idyllwild School enjoys, respects and appreciates Patty…. (she) is a gifted teacher who touches the heart and spirit of all students.”
Jackie Martin teaches ninth-graders in a transition class for severely handicapped students at Corona High School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. She has been a teacher for 32 years, nine of them at her current site. She received her bachelors degree from California State College, Stanislaus, and her masters degree from California State University, Los Angeles. Nominators said she “is passionate about her career… In her assignment as a teacher for severely handicapped children, she is often faced with challenges and obstacles that most educators never experience. She not only accepts this position, she appears to cherish it.”
Karen E. Staples teaches first- through third-graders in a special education class at La Granada Elementary School in the Alvord Unified School District. She has been a teacher for 28 years, 12 at her current site. She received her bachelors degree from Middle East University (Loma Linda University) and her masters degree from Michigan State University. Nominators said she “demonstrates a dedication to teaching each and every day… She is aware of the special needs of each and every student in her classroom.”
Winners are chosen by a committee, which includes former Teachers of the Year. The selection is based on information from nominators and site visits.
Locally, the 2007 Riverside County Teachers of the Year will be honored with administrators, confidential and classified employees next May at the Celebrating Educators event held in Riverside.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us
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