Alameda County Announces Teacher of the Year Honorees

From Alameda County Office of Education: Educator Veronica Aguilar has been named the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) 2017 - 18 Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Aguilar, a teacher at ACOE’s Burke Academy, recently celebrated 10 years with ACOE. She has worked with youth in the pregnant and parenting teen program at Fruitvale Academy in Oakland and Burke Academy in Hayward. Veronica begins each day text messaging each of her students from home, sending them encouragement and wishing them well for the day. “I am inspired by the students we serve and the incredible team that I work with,” says Veronica. “I am a teacher by nature, it’s who I am. And to be honored for doing something I love and am passionate about, there’s no better feeling.”

Winning teachers are announced throughout the spring with activities continuing through the fall. Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe kicks off the season with classroom visits of each district teacher, leading to the culminating Teacher of the Year Awards event in October.

“In preparation for our annual Teacher of the Year award ceremony, I have been visiting each of our winners in their classrooms, enabling me to witness the incredible work of our county’s well-deserving educators (view photos). I am especially excited to celebrate ACOE’s own Veronica Aguilar and witness the incredible work that her program does to support some of the county’s most vulnerable youth. I look forward to celebrating all of the honorees at the fall event.”

Each year, school districts nominate deserving teachers to receive the award, who can then go on to compete to become one of two county winners. Fourteen of Alameda County’s eighteen districts and each of the county’s three Regional Occupational Programs (ROPs) participated in honoring teachers for the 2017 - 18 award. See the full list of winners below.

Annually, ACOE hosts an elegant and inspirational award ceremony to honor each district’s Teacher of the Year and announce the county winners. The event will be held at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 5, 2017. For more information on the event contact Autumn King at autumnk@acoe.org.

Full List of Alameda County Teachers of the Year 2017 - 18

Alameda County Office of Education - Veronica Aguilar
Alameda USD - Kevin Gorham
Castro Valley USD - Maria Leyson
Dublin USD - Cindy Seto
Eden Area ROP - Bill Deslaurier
Emery USD - Leslie Payne
Fremont USD - Victoria Quintana
Hayward USD - Rosa Escobedo
Livermore USD - Fenna Gatty
Mission Valley ROP - Doug Nahale
New Haven USD - Tina Bobadilla-Mastel
Newark USD - Olivia Rangel
Oakland USD - Stephanie Taymuree
Oakland USD - LaRavian Battle
Pleasanton USD - Mario Hurtado
San Leandro USD - Kellie Morris
San Lorenzo USD - Dawn Wilson
Tri-Valley ROP - Nancy McNeil

Image via the Alameda County Office of Education