FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Claudia Medina, ACOE Communications, 510-670-4147
Dr. Lauren Bishop and Mr. Peter Mates
to advance to State-wide Teacher of the Year competition
County & Oakland District gain top honor
Hayward, October 9, 2009—The Alameda County Office of Education hosted its annual Teacher of the Year Award ceremony last night honoring nineteen teachers from school districts throughout Alameda County. Over 350 people participated in a joyous evening celebrating Alameda County’s finest teachers.
Dr. Lauren Bishop, representing the Alameda County Office of Education, and Mr. Peter Mates, representing Oakland Unified School District were honored as the two county-wide Teachers of the Year and will now move on to compete for the coveted honor of California Teacher of the Year.
The California Department of Education (CDE) invites county offices of education, school districts, charter schools, professional organizations, and private schools statewide to participate in the California Teachers of the Year Program. Since 1972, California began recognizing outstanding teachers. This endeavor provides an arena for fostering the highly qualified teacher standard emphasized in the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The program results in the annual selection of five teachers who reflect the diversity of our teachers and students. The process pays tribute to California's teaching force, the complexity of challenges that confront our schools, and the need to promote collaboration and teamwork to meet those challenges.
"Winning TOY for Alameda County is an affirmation of the work we do in alternative education. Our students deserve a quality education and I am proud to play a role in that. We can not write off these youth, dismissing their future. Embracing education is a powerful step to preventing incarceration. It is more expensive, both in terms of human suffering and taxpayer dollars, to allow these students to fall through the cracks."--Dr. Lauren Bishop
"I was stunned to be nominated for and to actually be chosen as Oakland Teacher of the Year, let alone Alameda County Teacher of the Year. When I met my fellow winners and saw their videos at the wonderful event organized and hosted by ACOE to honor us, I was even more amazed. The other district Teachers of the Year were inspirational to both me and everyone in attendance. What we all seem to have in common is a passion for moving our students forward and a love for our profession. We all believe that each student deserves every possible opportunity to grow and achieve. Teaching is simply not work for any of us. To be further selected from this extraordinary group of professionals left me speechless. This being said, it doesn't even begin to take into account the thousands of other teachers in Alameda County who are also equally deserving of this award. I am very proud to be considered by others in the profession to be exemplary at what I love to do."--Mr. Peter Mates
ACOE would like to acknowledge and recognize this years' district winners. The following is a list of the 2009 district teachers of the year (in order by district):
• Dr. Lauren Bishop, Alameda County Office of Education
• Roberta Rockwell, Alameda Unified School District
• Niki Boon, Vannoy Elementary School, Castro Valley Unified School District
• John Cardinalli, Wells Middle School, Dublin Unified School District
• Holly Coombs, Anna Yates Elementary School, Emery Unified School District
• Kristy Leo, Hirsch Elementary School, Fremont Unified School District
• Dr. Clifford Adams-Hart, Mission Valley ROP (Fremont)
• Bryan Holbrook, Hayward High School, Hayward Unified School District
• John Taylor, Eden Area ROP (Hayward)
• Janice Louthan, Altamont Creek Elementary School, Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District
• Anne Street, Bunker Elementary School, Newark Unified School District
• Vera-Lisa Roberts, Kitayama Elementary School, New Haven Unified School District
• Peter Mates, Bret Harte Middle School, Oakland Unified School District
• Keiko Chew, Chabot Elementary School, Oakland Unified School District
• Debbie Harvey, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton Unified School District
• Shay Galletti, Tri-Valley ROP (Pleasanton)
• Audrey Brown, San Leandro High School, San Leandro Unified School District
• Patricia Everitt, Arroyo High School, San Lorenzo Unified School District
• Leslie “Kitty” Jowe, Sunol Glen School District
Every year ACOE, honors, recognizes and celebrates Alameda County teachers’ for their excellence in classroom instruction. The honor and significance of the award will be throughout the 2009/2010 school year.
To view event pictures, please go to our Flickr account to view individual video presentations click here.
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