Lori Thelen

Alameda COE
Quest & EMERGE Academies
9th-12th Grade Independent Studies

Lori Thelen has worked with at-risk students for 20 years and believes in “treating all with respect and dignity as you never know what someone may be going through.” She helped build the EMERGE program which provides individual and group instruction to students who might not otherwise have continued in school. She frequently engages outside agencies to provide tools and resources for students, who may not have realized help was available to them.

Elisa Correia-Dasalla

Castro Valley USD
Castro Valley Adult & Career Education
Medical Academy

Elisa Correia-Dasalla has been teaching at CVACE for 16 years with a total of 22 years in the profession. A typical start to her class, done even more frequently during distance learning, is a “check in” where students are able to speak freely and without judgment about whatever they are thinking or feeling. Correia-Dasalla has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Lilia Tsui

Dublin USD
Fredricksen/Dublin Elementary Schools
English Language Development (ELD)

Lilia Tsui has been working in education for 19 years and in her current role, split between two schools, for six. She is a proven advocate for all students and supports her fellow staff members by fostering an inclusive and accessible learning environment. Tsui also trains colleagues in Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) strategies and serves as an additional support for families who are learning English.

Cheryl Grixti

Eden Area ROP
Hayward Center
11th-12th Grade Merchandising

Cheryl Grixti has been teaching students with IEPs and various special needs for 14 years and believes the silver lining of her job is watching her students grow and learn, and not complain. She engages her students in a workability program that offers them paying jobs and puts them in a position to gain independence and critical life skills. Grixti says she learns as much from her students as they learn from her.

Ashante Smith

Emery USD
Anna Yates Elementary/Middle School
6th Grade English Language Arts/Social Studies

Ashante Smith has been teaching for eight years. Her teaching goal is for students to leave her class prepared to become lifelong learners with perseverance so that when they are faced with challenges - whether in school, with peers or adults - that they will have the drive within them to succeed.. She wants them to know the value of hard work and persistence, so they don’t shy away from challenges.

Thalia McNeil-Smith

Hayward USD
Brenkwitz High School
12th Grade English

Thalia McNeil-Smith has held multiple positions within HUSD and has been at Brenkwitz for 30 years. In addition, she is a member of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team, working to build capacity with staff, as well as provide culturally responsive teaching and deeper learning. McNeil-Smith has also led student trips to Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Los Angeles, exposing students to new places and experiences.

Christopher Filice

Livermore USD
Livermore High School
9th-12th Grade Choir

Christopher Filice is in his seventh year of teaching. He feels lucky to work with students on their musicianship, vocal development, and ensemble skills every day, and believes that music can help people understand the cultures around them in a deep and meaningful way. He sings with the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco and also with The Same Stream, a professional choir based in Philadelphia.

Chef Christopher Skrocke

Mission Valley ROP
Newark Memorial High School
9th-12th Grade Culinary Arts

Chef Christopher Skrocke has been teaching for 12 years after working in professional kitchens for nearly two decades. He treats his students as if they are high-end clients and aims to embed in them a sense of independence and real-world skills. Skrocke believes he is not only just teaching cooking skills, but also how to be successful at whatever his students choose to do in life.

Catherine Scheving

Newark USD
Schilling Elementary School
4th-6th Grade Special Day Class

Catherine Scheving has been teaching Special Education for 34 years and currently leads a special day class for students with mild to moderate needs. She previously worked at both a summer camp for developmentally disabled adults and children as well as an aide for a resource program and, from there, her desire to teach was born. Scheving tries to uncover what her students need, especially those who haven’t made a connection with someone before.

Chantel Parnell

Oakland USD
Bret Harte Middle School
6th-8th Grade Computer Science & Girls Who Code

Chantel Parnell says she always knew she wanted to be a teacher and has spent the last 10 years at Bret Harte. She got her start with Teach for America, which brought her to the Bay Area where she put down her roots.. Parnell has launched a number of computer science and animation courses, primarily attended by girls, despite not having a computer science background, and her creativity has led to outside opportunities for her students.

Jessica Jung

Oakland USD
Bridges Academy
3rd Grade

Jessica Jung has taught at Bridges for 14 years. She speaks three languages, including Korean and conversational Spanish. Jung’s students come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and she makes home visits an integral part of her teaching philosophy in order to forge strong collaborative relationships. She provides families with phone calls, text messages and weekly newsletters.

Whitney Dwyer

Oakland USD
Met West High School
10th Grade Humanities/Academic Advisor

Whitney Dwyer taught at Met West for 10 years. Her efforts are rooted in giving her students the tools necessary to work toward liberation on internal, interpersonal, and institutional levels.Dwyer prepares her students to understand the historical context for contemporary problems that impact them. Her aspiration is that her students love and respect one another through active community building and sharing with each other.

Russell Sato

Pleasanton USD
Village High School
9th-12th Grade English/Career Readiness

Russell Sato has taught for 15 years, and has been at Village for eight years where he also is the English Department Chair. Sato intentionally arranges desks in his classroom in a horseshoe shape so that no student is in the back of the class. He believes his single greatest contribution to his students is that he gives them a safe place to share their voices and develop their evolving points of view.

Erica Viray Santos

San Leandro USD
San Leandro High School
9th-12th Grade Social Justice Academy

Erica Viray Santos has spent 13 of her 16 teaching years at San Leandro High. She is the chair/coordinator of the school’s innovative Social Justice Academy which is a rigorous three-year program designed for students to realize their potential as agents of positive and transformative change. Viray Santos has consistently advocated for and led multiple efforts to expand Social Justice education and mental health and wellness programming in the district.

Sue Guinee

San Lorenzo USD
Arroyo High School
9th-12th Grade PE/Special Day Class

Sue Guinee taught adapted and modified PE for students with special needs for 31 years, and had an unwavering belief in humans to overcome any inherent challenges. She is remembered as radiating positive energy and often got students out of their wheelchairs and walking with walkers. She was known for saying, “Don’t do for our students what they can do for themselves.” Guinee tragically passed away in May, 2021.

Christopher Wheeler

Sunol Glen USD
Sunol Glen School
6th Grade RLA, Math, Science, Social Studies. PE

Christopher Wheeler has been teaching for 11 years, having spent a decade in his current position. He places a priority on his students demonstrating the intense value of effort and tenacity, and guides them toward discovering that with effort comes improvement. His greatest accomplishments are measured by his former students which he refers to as “Alumnae Friends.” Wheeler is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Diana Hasenpflug

Tri-Valley ROP
Amador Valley HS
9th-12th Grade Sports Medicine/Athletics Trainer

Diana Hasenpflug has been at Amador Valley for 13 years and a teacher for a total of 25. She operates a hands-on classroom where students learn about caring for and treating all sorts of bodily injuries, and she regularly takes them to observe at physical therapy clinics. She played basketball and softball in high school and also softball at Sonoma State, becoming the first in her family to earn a college degree.