Daniel Watts, the 2009 Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Teacher of the Year, has earned another prestigious honor. On June 2, at the Esquire Imax theater in downtown Sacramento surrounded by eleven other outstanding teachers from the region, Watts was named the News10 Teacher of the Year.
"There is an incredible epidemic in at-risk youth there who need direction," Watts told the cheering audience. "I just figured I'd come in and fill the need."
Watts, a Roseville resident, is a Juvenile Court Schools instructor teaching graphic arts at SCOE's Carson Creek Jr./Sr. High School campus where he works with detained, at-risk students. Carson Creek is located within the Sacramento County Boys Ranch juvenile facility operated by the Sacramento County Probation Department.
In his graphics arts classes, Watts has a weekly art contest where students compete for prizes. The contest teaches students how to work together successfully. He also developed a student teaching assistant program allowing students to earn the right to assist in the classroom, while learning leadership skills and responsibility.
Watts developed an entrepreneur program with his class that provides graphic arts design services to SCOE staff and the public. The program and its students have created designed logos for several SCOE campuses and projects. In addition, students in the Carson Creek graphic arts class now benefit from a partnership with The Arts Institute of Sacramento in which representatives from the institute visit with students, make presentations and talk about career opportunities in digital media and design.
As the News 10 Teacher of the Year, in addition to a check for $5,000 from Schools Credit Union, Watts will receive a weekend spa getaway from the Natomas Inn and Spa and four vouchers on Southwest Airlines. All of the teachers honored Tuesday received dinners from the L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, River Cats tickets, and a Monarchs opening night package.
The entire Esquire Imax - News 10 Teacher of the Year Ceremony will be broadcast on News10 at the following dates and times:
- 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20
- 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24
- 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26
The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is presented by SCOE in partnership with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, the Intel Corporation Folsom and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.