Alameda High Teacher Honored at County Awards Ceremony

Information submitted by Alameda Unified School District:

The Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) honored John Dalton, a teacher of TV Media/ Digital Filmmaking at Alameda High School (AHS), at an awards ceremony Thursday night.

Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) had named Dalton AUSD Teacher of the Year in May 2015, citing his passion for teaching, his dedication to the craft of media production, and his support of Career Technical Education.

Dalton went on to compete against 17 teachers from 14 school districts and three Regional Occupational Programs for the two titles of Alameda County Teacher of the Year. The winners of the county award were Ann Park (Oakland Unified School District) and Elizabeth Ingram (Castro Valley Unified School District). It was the 26th Annual Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony.

“I was delighted to see John at the county ceremony last night,” said AUSD Superintendent Sean McPhetridge. “He is a model teacher. He is devoted to the crafts of both teaching and media, and he is continually looking for new ways to partner with other professionals and institutions to develop career pathways. His abilities to nurture students and partner with adults are stellar. I am thankful he is part of our AUSD team.”

Dalton began teaching at AHS in 2007, when he was hired as a consultant to improve the AHS media program. Since becoming a full-time instructor in 2008, he has taught TV/Media, Digital Filmmaking, and MultiMedia Arts, as well as providing instruction in the school’s AVID program. For a number of years, he also organized “Project YouthView,” a Bay Area film festival that drew dozens of entries each year.

Long an advocate of Career Technical Education, Dalton also has worked to align his TV/Media program with Laney Community College’s film and video classes to create a smooth transition for high school students seeking to further their media career. He also developed, launched, and now manages the public/educational access television stations “NextGen TV Ch. 29” for AUSD and the City of Alameda.

“It has been such a pleasure to serve students in this incredible and unique school district,” Dalton said. “I am elated about being AUSD’s 2015 Teacher of the Year. I personally accredit that honor to the talents of our students, who step up every day with a positive and entrepreneurial attitude and produce amazing work of high quality on a consistent basis. They demonstrate the power of Career Technical Education this district, an educational paradigm that focuses the 21st century job skills of youth development, career competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring in their lives. Here’s to our wonderful students who make us all look good! Thank you all for your ongoing support of our program and selecting me as this year’s winner!”

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