River Cats Honor Local Teachers

Posted April 10, 2007
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Pre-Game Ceremony Recognizes Sacramento County Teachers of the Year

Fans inside a crowded Raley Field cheered as the Sacramento River Cats paid tribute to the 2007 Sacramento County Teachers of the Year in a special pre-game ceremony on April 7, 2007.

Sacramento County's Teachers of the Year 2007, Skye Mie Smith, and Cheryl Dultz, were honored as the River Cats hosted the Tacoma Rainiers. Dultz threw the ceremonial first pitch.

Smith is a first grade teacher from Prairie Elementary in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Dultz is a third grade teacher from Kingswood Elementary in the San Juan Unified School District. Also present on the field during the pre-game ceremony was Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon.

All of the school districts within the County of Sacramento, along with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), are invited each year to participate in the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program. Larger districts are eligible to submit two entries.

Each district's Teacher of the Year completes a comprehensive application packet, which includes an extensive biography and answers to questions ranging from personal philosophy of teaching to an understanding of current educational issues.

A community selection committee comprised of education professionals, including previous Teachers of the Year, meets in the fall to interview each district Teacher of the Year and select the two finalists. The names of all the candidates were entered in the Teachers of the Year 2007 Program in Sacramento County.

The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year program is coordinated annually by the Sacramento County Office of Education to recognize the achievements of local educators and to raise awareness of the valuable role that teachers play in the lives of their students and in the community. The program is presented by SCOE in partnership with
Maloof Sports and Entertainment and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.

Information about the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is available online or by phoning the Sacramento County Office of Education at (916) 228-2417.