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Riverside County Office of Education 3939 Thirteenth Street Riverside, California 92501 | Map (951) 826-6530 Indio Office Murrieta Office Governmental Relations Office |
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Copyright © 2010 Riverside County Superintendent of Schools. 3939 Thirteenth Street, Riverside, CA 92501 |
Barry Kayrell, Ed.D, is the Superintendent of the Beaumont Unified School District, a position he has held for three years. He has been a school administrator for 28 years. He became a teacher in 1976 at Norte Vista High School in the Alvord Unified School District and has been a superintendent in Oroville and Assistant Superintendent in the Perris Union High School District. He is a member of Rotary, the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, Pass Area Fine Arts Board, and Pass Area Unity Day Board. Nominators said Kayrell “has chosen to live a life that matters and provide leadership that makes a difference.” They credit Kayrell with providing leadership that is improving student success and driving the district “on the road to excellence.”
Co-Administrator of the Year (Certificated):
Administrator of the Year (Classified):
Samuel Buenrostro is the Principal of Centennial High School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. He has served in education for 24 years, six as Principal at Centennial High School. He was a teacher at Santa Ana High School in 1989, and worked in the Riverside Unified School District from 1991-1999. He was an Assistant Principal at Centennial High School for four years before becoming Principal in 2003. He is a member of Rotary International, Association of California School Administrators, Corona-Norco PTSA, and the RUSD Latino Advisory Committee. He has been a presenter at numerous educational events, and a Golden Bell winner in 2008, and nationally recognized leader of the Professional Learning Communities movement. Nominators said he is “an inspirational and visionary leader. He is extremely well respected among his peers. Under his stewardship, Centennial High School student achievement is soaring.”
Gracie L. Mendez is an Executive Secretary in Human Resources for the Riverside Unified School District. She has been a confidential staff member for five years and worked in education for 14 years. She began as a Health Assistant in Riverside Unified in 1994 and became a middle school secretary in 1997. She was promoted to Executive Secretary in 2004. She was on the School Site Council Committee at Magnolia Elementary School, PTSA President at Central Middle School, and the Education and Human Resources Services Academy Steering Committee at North High School. She was the Superintendent’s Honoree in 1997 for her community work, served on the Blueprint for Volunteer Diversity Board for the City of Riverside, and is a volunteer for the high school students camp at Calvary Chapel Oceanside. Nominators said “her exceptional interpersonal skills, sense of humor, professionalism, and compassion are a winning combination.”
Julie Poirer-Leyva is a school bus drive in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District. She has been a classified staff member for eight years. She is a member of the California School Employees Association and is Secretary for the Elsinore High School Agricultural Department. She is a Little League Coach and volunteer, volunteer for the Operation Home Front for military families, and volunteer for Lamplighter aiding special needs adults. Nominator said she has volunteered with the Unity in the Community Parade, holiday party, and Celebrate Our Schools Week. “Julia single handedly made our Stuff the Bus promotion a success,” they said, providing school supplies donated by generous benefactors. “Ms. Leyva is a true professional who expects nothing but the best from herself and others.”
Katie Kearney teaches 7th Grade Language Arts at James Day Middle School in the Temecula Valley Unified School District. She has 22 years of teaching experience, 10 of them at James Day. She has a bachelor’s degree for CSU Sacramento, and a master’s degree in school administration from National University in San Diego. She wrote a manual “Five Elements to Creative Writing” which is used in Temecula, Poway and Coachella schools, wrote a Math Replacement Units and presented at workshops, and has a GATE certificate. Nominators said she is a “Super Teacher…failure is not an option in Katie’s classroom…she plans lessons around students’ needs. She consistently goes the extra mile for her students.”
Loredana Wicketts teaches third grade at Eisenhower Elementary School in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. She has 12 years of teaching experience, four of them at Eisenhower. She has a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona, and a master’s degree in education from the Claremont Graduate School. She is a literacy coordinator, member of the National Honor Society, Project Wild and the Reading Success Network. Nominators said she “identifies with the English Learner students and the challenges they face…the warmth and caring she gives her students is unsurpassed…she is diligent and does whatever it takes for her students to reach their highest potential. She refuses to let a child not be successful.” She was also named a California Teacher of the Year.
Katherine Wright is the retired Interim Superintendent of the Alvord Unified School District in Riverside. She worked 33 years for the Alvord district as a teacher, administrator, preschool supervisor, project specialist, principal, Coordinator of Curriculum Development, Assistant Superintendent, and Deputy Superintendent -- twice as Interim Superintendent. She is active with many organizations, including Riverside Dollars for Scholars, Riverside Dickens Festival, Mission Inn Foundation, Youth Service Center, and many others. Nominators said she “has impacted the lives of 400,000 students during her years of service” and “has been a mentor to many in the educational community…her professionalism and dedication to the education profession are highly respected throughout not only the Alvord Unified School District, but the greater educational community in the Inland Empire.”
Gladys J. Walker retired in January as the Interim Superintendent for the Riverside Unified School District. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Alvord school district in 1975. She was Principal for Ramona High School in the Riverside district in 1992, Assistant Superintendent, and Deputy Superintendent for Instructional Services. She became Interim Superintendent in 2008. Nominators said “she has been a member of the Riverside community for 35 years…she has been a staunch advocate for public education, an inspirational teacher, a motivational leader, and an involved community member….she is always striving to make Riverside a better place for all of its residents.”
Alberto C. Silva is a parent in the Coachella Valley Unified School District. He became involved with the Coachella Valley district where his three children attended school by participating in the Migrant Education Program, and is currently the Migrant Education Parent Advisory Committee President. He is a member of many school site committees, and now helps motivate and train other parents to become involved in school activities. Nominators said “Mr. Silva has donated his time to first learn how he can work hand in hand with the school system…then became a member of different committees where his is actively involved…he is an outstanding role model as a father, he advocates for student’s and parents’ rights…and he has never stopped learning and updating his presentations in order to become an effective and motivational parent presenter….His children feel very proud of their father going to different schools to present to other parents and how he has been growing as a leader.”
Harry Colmer is a garden volunteer at Pauba Valley Elementary School. Mr. Colmer is a Marine Corps veteran, serving from 1950-53 as a Tank Commander and Gunner in Korea. He lives near Pauba Valley Elementary School and began volunteering to help in the school garden, now spending 800-900 hours a year at the school. He helped add a pond and waterfall, and created a water feature that students could use to study life cycles. He also helped build a shed, greenhouse and hydroponics building. He comes daily, spending three to four hours a day in the garden. All students attend “garden time” every other week. Nominators said “it is easy to look at the structures he has created and be amazed, but what is most impressive is the knowledge and passion he has passed on to our students…the students plant, grow and cultivate their own fruits and vegetables and when they are just right, he serves them up for all students to taste… he encourages students to recycle, and uses the recycling to earn cash for the garden…he has worked to make our garden totally self-sufficient by raising the necessary funds to pay for each endeavor. Our garden is an inspiration here at school, and we have had visitors from throughout the state and beyond.” 
Charlene Busch is a community member and volunteer in the Perris Union High School, Perris Elementary School, and Nuview Union school districts. She was nominated by superintendents from all three districts. She and her husband, Barry, owned the Amigo Tres Restaurant in Perris and she began teaching in Perris in 1993. She joined the Nuview School District Board of Trustees in 2000. She is also a member of the Nuevo Municipal Advisory Committee. She established the reading tutorial programs using high school athletes as role models in Perris elementary schools, created and supported programs to adopt underprivileged families for holiday programs in Perris, and created the Rotary Readers program in Perris. She implemented and trained staff in the 40 Developmental Assets Program in Perris, and has led the fundraising effort for the Perris High School aquatics program. She is the force behind a swimming program which is a collaboration of the city of Perris, Perris Union High School District and YMCA. Nominators said “her accomplishments speak for themselves. The response to her reading programs has been overwhelming…Her service to the community in the name of children is an inspiration to all those who work with her. Simply put, Charlene will do anything for kids.”