Logo: Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2008

David W. Gordon, Jeanette Providence, and Rob Myers

David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools (left), with Jeanette Providence and Rob Myers, Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2008.

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Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2008 Announced

Posted September 6, 2007
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Teachers from Del Paso Heights School District and Grant Joint Union High School District Advance to State Competition

A 5th-6th grade teacher from the Del Paso Heights School District and an English/language arts teacher from the Grant Joint Union High School District are the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2008, the Sacramento County Office of Education announced September 5 at a county-wide teacher recognition banquet.

Rob Myers, from Garden Valley Elementary School in the Del Paso Heights School District, and Jeannette Providence, from Grant High School in the Grant Joint Union High School District, were selected from among 17 Sacramento area teachers to represent the county in the California Teachers of the Year competition.

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. Thirteen districts and the Sacramento County Office of Education participated this year. 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.

During the awards banquet, each district Teacher of the Year was introduced by either a current or former student, or a parent of a student. David W. Gordon, County Superintendent of Schools, and trustees from the Sacramento County Board of Education, presented each of the Teachers of the Year with an inscribed award. Outgoing Teachers of the Year Cheryl Dultz and Skye Mie Smith announced the names of their successors. County School Board Trustee Elinor L. Hickey, a former district and county Teacher of the Year, presented Mr. Myers and Ms. Providence with the Award of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the County Board of Education. Neil White, representing the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry, awarded a perpetual trophy to be shared by the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year during the 2007-08 school year.

Rob Myers and Jeanette Providence now are eligible to advance to the statewide competition, out of which five teachers will be chosen as California Teachers of the Year.

The five California Teachers of the Year are responsible for representing the teaching profession in a variety of settings and assisting their teaching colleagues in numerous ways throughout the calendar year of 2008. Their names and that of the one individual of the group selected as the state's nominee to the National Teacher of the Year Program will be announced later in the fall by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is presented by the Sacramento County Office of Education in partnership with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, the
Intel Corporation Folsom and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.

All 17 Sacramento area teachers will be honored during a special halftime presentation when the Sacramento Kings host the New Orleans Hornets on Friday, February 1, 2008 at ARCO Arena.


Teachers of the Year 2008 Chosen by Sacramento-Area School Districts
Portrait: Susan Erickson Susan Erickson
Center Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Oak Hill Elementary School
Elementary/4th Grade

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Robert Myers
Selected as Sacramento County Teacher of the Year 2008
Robert Myers
Del Paso Heights School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Garden Valley Elementary School
Elementary/5th-6th Grades

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Mark Freathy Mark Freathy
Elk Grove Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Toby Johnson Middle School
Middle School/Math

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Amy Spithorst Amy Spithorst
Elk Grove Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Florin High School
High School/Agriculture

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Barbara Young Barbara Young
Folsom Cordova Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Theodore Judah Elementary School
Elementary/Kindergarten

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Mark Feuerbach Mark Feuerbach
Galt Joint Union High School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Galt High School
High School/Agriculture/Mechanics/Welding

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Jeanette Providence
Selected as Sacramento County Teacher of the Year 2008
Jeanette Providence
Grant Joint Union High School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Grant High School
High School/ English/Language Arts

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

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Portrait: Connie Parsons Connie Parsons
Natomas Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Discovery High School
High School/World History/Economics/Geography

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Victoria Stenken Victoria Stenken
North Sacramento School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Hazel Strauch Elementary School
Elementary/5th Grade

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Debra Williams Debra Williams
Rio Linda Union School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Creative Connections Arts Academy
Elementary/2nd-3rd Grades; & 1st-8th-Drama, Musical & Backstage Theater

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Ryan Pace Ryan Pace
River Delta Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Rio Vista High School
High School/Art

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Nancy Tseng Nancy Tseng
Robla School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Glenwood School
Elementary/3rd Grade

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Daphne Cagle Daphne Cagle
Sacramento City Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Sutter Middle School
Middle School/Special Education & Reading

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Deborah Meltvedt Deborah Meltvedt
Sacramento City Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School
High School/Medical Science

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

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Portrait: Jan Valine Jan Valine
Sacramento County Office of Education Teacher of the Year 2008
Bowling Day Reporting Center
Juvenile Court School/English Math, Science, Social Studies

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Frances J. Harms Frances J. Harms
San Juan Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Laurel Ruff Learning Center
Special Education/Community Transition

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.

Portrait: Gayle Winney Gayle Winney
San Juan Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2008
Citrus Heights Elementary School
Elementary/Music

QuickTime Banquet speech video
QuickTime Studio interview video

Videos require QuickTime, broadband recommended.



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