San Diego County Teachers of the Year Named

SAN DIEGO, CA — Five public school teachers were named San Diego County Teacher of the Year and will next vie for California Teacher of the Year, according to the Office of Education.

The "26th Annual Cox Presents: A Salute to Teachers," an Academy Awards-style ceremony, was held Saturday night at the Balboa Theatre downtown and was broadcast live on local cable TV.

The 2016-17 San Diego County Teachers of the Year are:

— Jenny Anderson, Casita Center for Technology, Science, and Math (Vista Unified School District).

— Brooke Crocker, Santana High School (Grossmont Union High School District).

— Stuart Douglas, Granger Junior High School (Sweetwater Union High School District).

— Megan Gross, Del Norte High School (Poway Unified School District).

— Amy Schwenke, Fallbrook Street School (Fallbrook Union Elementary School District).

A total of 43 teachers were nominated for the 2016-17 County Teacher of the Year honor from among the 26,000 public school teachers in the region, and the field was narrowed to 10 finalists, according to the San Diego County Office of Education.

The finalists were selected based on student achievement, professional development and community involvement, teaching philosophy, knowledge of current issues in education, promotion and development of the teaching profession, accountability, and ability to serve as ambassadors of education.

About the San Diego County Teachers of the Year

Anderson is a K-5 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teacher and coach at Casita Center for Technology, Science and Math in Vista Unified School District. She teaches K-5 digital citizenship and fourth-grade broadcast journalism, and runs the flexible learning space DREAMS lab.

For Anderson, teaching is personal and inspired by her own moment of self-realization with a high school physics teacher. Teaching needs to be personalized to students’ strengths, she says.

“My role is to create opportunities for students to discover their strengths to make inquires, collaborate, lead, and take action.”

Casita Center Principal Laura Smith calls Anderson — who was 5 when her parents immigrated to the United States from Taiwan — a visionary and exemplar of the American Dream. “Jenny is inspired by the future and what could be,” Smith says.

Crocker teaches AP U.S. history, U.S. history, and honors geography to ninth- and 11th-grade students at Santana High School in the Grossmont Union High School District. For Crocker, assessing her students’ academic and social needs is essential to help them achieve in school. Her greatest accomplishment as a teacher came on the worst day of her career, when a fatal school shooting occurred at Santana in March 2001.

“I realized that the power of the student-teacher connection went beyond textbooks and lectures to a true understanding of the heart.”

Students are drawn to Crocker, who also coaches Academic League. Assistant Principal Jennifer Hudson says Crocker inspires a love of learning: “These students crave being around her.”

Douglas teaches biology to ninth-graders at Granger Junior High School in the Sweetwater Union High School District. Douglas says his love of science and the outdoors was nurtured by his parents, and he is dedicated to connecting his students with nature through field trips, guest speakers, volunteering and other opportunities.

“I provide them with experiences that open the doors of possibility,” he says.

Douglas’ former principal, Richard Carreon, calls him the “face of field trips” at the school. “His selfless acts continue to put students in situations where they learn beyond school walls.”

School safety is also a priority for Douglas, who was a new teacher at Santana High when the fatal 2001 shooting occurred. Colleagues hailed Douglas as a hero for getting students to safety that day.

Gross’ classroom is the home base for students in the Autism Spectrum Disorders program at Del Norte High School in the Poway Unified School District. Her day includes teaching support classes in reading and vocational skills. In Gross’ classroom, the emphasis of instruction is on communication and active engagement in the school community. She believes success is possible for all students, and works collectively with students, families, and support team members to make a plan for success.

Principal Greg Mizel says Gross is “profoundly passionate about inclusion. She is deeply dedicated to ending the social and physical isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Schwenke teaches kindergartners at Fallbrook Street School in the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District. Children begin to understand the importance of education in kindergarten, Schwenke says. She says she challenges her students to act as leaders, “making choices that model good citizenship and scholarly behavior.”

Principal Stephenie Martinez says Schwenke “is relentless when it comes to unlocking a child’s potential.”

Schwenke works to reach her students academically and emotionally, and says, “It is imperative that I create a place of belonging.”

The County Teacher of the Year honor also includes five finalists: Doug Connor, Cuyamaca Outdoor School, San Diego County Office of Education; Jonathan Hash, Lincoln High School, San Diego Unified School District; Mark Jeffers, Mount Miguel High School, Grossmont Union High School District; Jennifer Roberts, Point Loma High School, San Diego Unified School District; and Allison Slattery, Bonsall West Elementary School, Bonsall Unified School District.

The five teachers of the year will represent San Diego County in the California Teacher of the Year program. The state winners will be announced later this year.

Since 1974, 161 teachers have been named San Diego County Teacher of the Year. Of those, 19 were named California Teacher of the Year and three went on to be named National Teacher of the Year.

— City News Service contributed to this report.