Community Corner
LEUSD Employees Of The Year
School site Employee of the Year and Teacher of the Year honorees below were nominated by a vote of their peers, including administrators.
LAKE ELSINORE—Seven Employee of the Year honorees, three district and county Teacher of the Year nominees, plus site honorees from 23 schools and district departments will receive LEUSD’s highest tribute from the Board of Trustees and Superintendent Doug Kimberly.
“Though schools are closed, these distinctive teachers, site administrators, support professionals, and classified employees exemplify commitment to students and what it means to be an essential worker,” said Superintendent Dr. Doug Kimberly.
Our three Teacher of the Year honorees, denoted by an asterisk below (*), were selected one year in advance to synchronize with county and state Teacher of the Year awards, and will be celebrated by the Riverside County Office of Education in 2021, among announcements of the county’s top school employees and teachers. The seven LEUSD Employees of the Year listed below were nominated and selected by LEUSD’s Administrative team, and are being recognized this year.
LEUSD Employee of the Year & Teacher of the Year Honorees for 2020
Janet Timm,* Earl Warren ES, Kindergarten.................................................... Teacher of the Year-Elementary
Marisa Bowers,* Elsinore Middle School, Mild-Mod.................................... Teacher of the Year-Middle School
Jamie Webber,* Lakeside High School, Science............................................... Teacher of the Year-High School
Dr. Kate Sielig-Dampier, Program Specialist: Special Ed (SISS).................. Certificated Administrator
Tammy Williams, Supervisor: District Student Information (AITSS)............ Classified Administrator
Magdalena Portales, Elsinore High School, Paraeducator II/Bilingual.... Classified Employee
Diane Taylor, Credential Analyst (Personnel Support Services)................... Confidential Employee
Brandi Willoughby, Donald Graham ES, SEL Support Provider.................. Site Support Employee
Larissa Allen-Jefferson, Keith McCarthy Academy, Counselor.................. Counselor of the Year
Dr. Sandra Valles-Metzger, Machado Elementary School........................ Principal of the Year
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Board President Heidi Matthies Dodd said, "On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we honor each of our Teachers of the Year and Employees of the Year, and can't wait to welcome them back to our schools and district workplaces, so we can let them know how proud we are, in person."
School and Site Employees of the Year
School site Employee of the Year and Teacher of the Year honorees below were nominated by a vote of their peers, including administrators. Participating Departments’ nominees are listed at the end of the table below.
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| School or District Site | LEUSD Employees & Teachers of the Year |
Categories (EOY, TOY, denotes RCOE recognition)
Cottonwood Canyon Elementary
Laurene Rutherford, Grade 2
Elizabeth Valdez, Paraeducator II/Special Ed
Tina Monger, Psychologist
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Donald Graham Elementary
Kassandra Zulewski, Grade 6 Math/Science
Jennifer Hendrick, Paraeducator III/Special Ed
Brandi Willoughby, SEL Support Provider
Teacher
Classified
Site Support/EOY
Elsinore Elementary
Glenda Rhea, Grade 4
Mai Do, Custodian I
Teacher
Classified
Earl Warren Elementary
Janet Timm, Kindergarten
Jay Dixit, Custodian II
Teacher/TOY
Classified
Machado Elementary
Dulce Castaneda, Kindergarten
Anacani Bruno, Community Liaison
Janet Calva, Psychologist
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Railroad Canyon Elementary
Shirley Haines, Grade 2
Patricia Hamilton, Clerk III: Assignment
Celeste Solomon, Speech & Language Pathologist
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Rice Canyon Elementary
Diana Engels, Grade 1
Casey Harwood, Paraeducator II/Special Ed
Patricia Brown, Speech & Language Pathologist
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Ronald Reagan Elementary
Michele Martire, Grade 3
Polly Filla, Paraeducator II/Special Ed
Teacher
Classified
Tuscany Hills Elementary
Kimberle Larson, Grade 1
Teacher
William Collier Elementary
Jennifer Davis, Grade 3
Irene Romero, Clerk III: Assignment
Teacher
Classified
Wildomar Elementary
Dianna Boggs, Kindergarten
Erika Becerra, Paraeducator II/Bilingual
Teacher
Classified
Withrow Elementary
Maureen Neeper, Grade 1
Alyson Aguayo, Paraeducator II/Special Ed
Julie Berg, Nurse
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Lakeland Village School K-8
Monique Poldberg, Grade 2
Isabel Diaz, Counseling Secretary
Anne Gresham, Nurse
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Luiseño School K-8
Misty Ford, Math
Antonette Kern, Bookkeeper
Janet Calva, Psychologist
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Canyon Lake Middle School
Analuz Aguirre, Intensive Language Arts
Mary Maxwell, Secretary III
Teacher
Classified
David Brown Middle School
Mary Isaacs, Grade 8 Language Arts/Social Sciences
Abraham Esquer, Paraeducator II/Special Ed
Carol Nielsen, Psychologist
Ellen Wiedner, Counselor
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Counselor
Elsinore Middle School
Marisa Bowers, RSP
Yolanda Villarino, Counseling Secretary
Corinne Bodnar, Counselor
Teacher/TOY
Classified
Counselor
Terra Cotta Middle School
Kelly Ann Hendley, Language Arts/Social Studies-core
Maricela Vergara, Clerk III: Assignment
Elizabeth Marler, Nurse
Rosemary Renderos, Counselor
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Counselor
Elsinore High School
Linda Hernandez, SDC Mild/Mod Math
Magdalena Portales, Paraeducator II/Bilingual
Jennifer Edquist, Nurse
Rico Borrero, Counselor
Teacher
Classified/EOY
Site Support
Counselor
Lakeside High School
Jamie Webber, Biology, AP, AVID
Beverly Young, Attendance Technician
Joshua Hager, Adaptive PE
Maria Bermudez, MH, Counselor
Teacher/TOY
Classified
Site Support
Counselor
Temescal Canyon High School
Tara Abell, Drama, English
Steven Freers, Chemistry, IB
Susan Diaz, Secretary IV
Benet Hammoudeh, Teacher Librarian
Crystal Espinoza, Counselor
Teacher (tie)
Teacher (tie)
Classified
Site Support
Counselor
Keith McCarthy Academy
Nancy Dunlap, Peer Counseling
Shelle Polini, Registrar
Paige Sautner, Psychologist
Larissa Allen-Jefferson, Counselor
Teacher
Classified
Site Support
Counselor/EOY
Ortega High School
Steven Clark, RSP, Mild/Mod
Ruby Vander Velde, Clerk III: Assignment
Teacher
Classified
Departmental & Preschool Recognitions (participating)
Fiscal Support Services
Christina Anderson, Accountant
Classified
Administrative & Instructional Technology
Darleen Romo, District Student Data Tech
Classified
Transportation Services
Kathy Allen, Bus Driver Instructor, Interim Supervisor
Classified
Children & Family Services
Danielle Erikson, Wildomar ES, Preschool—Head Start
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This press release was produced by the Lake Elsinore Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
