From Silicon Valley To Juvenile Hall: Meet Mr. McKibben

MARTINEZ, CA — Meet Kevin McKibben, a retired 34-year employee of Intel whom for the past three years has taught computer applications to students at Mt. McKinley High School. Mt. McKinley is not your typical high school: it is located inside Contra Costa County's Juvenile Hall Complex in Martinez and inside the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility in Byron.

In March, Contra Costa County Office of Education named McKibben its 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.

Here's what CCCOE Instructional Technology Coordinator Nicholas Zefeldt had to say about McKibben.

"I first met Kevin through a year-long computer science training cohort that I facilitated. He was interested in learning how to bring the AP computer science principles curriculum to the incarcerated youth that he teaches. Throughout the year that we worked together, I watched Kevin learn how to take complex concepts and scaffold them for a classroom full of students who largely have never found success in the educational system.

"It was clear from the beginning that Kevin was not only trying to teach computer science concepts, but also that, if they wanted to, each of his students could one day become a computer programmer, a web designer, or a hardware engineer. He was trying to open doors for students who increasingly are faced with doors long since closed.

"Spending time in his classroom, it is clear that Kevin has high expectations for his students. Students learn vocabulary and have opportunities to practice concepts in a group and individually. They are able to move through the curriculum at their own speed and, when students need extra support, Kevin coaches them through their struggles. When his students come to his classroom in a state not conducive to learning due to something happening in their unit, Kevin is able to focus them and get them to channel that energy into their learning.

"In short, one of the most powerful things about Kevin’s classroom is that he tries to show his students they are capable of much more than they sometimes give themselves credit for."

As CCCOE's teacher of the year, McKibben will be honored alongside 21 teachers of the year from districts throughout the county at CCCOE's annual Teacher of the Year Gala to be held Sept. 26, 2019 at the Hilton Concord.

"The 22 teachers of the year will be accompanied by their families, friends and co-workers," said Jonathan Lance, spokesperson for CCCOE. "The expected crowd of close to 500 will also include numerous other supporters of the program."

More information about CCCOE's 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year Program, including a list of all the teachers honored, is posted here.

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