2018-2019 Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year

Kelly Perkins
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Ygnacio Valley High School
California Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist
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Rosie Reid
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Northgate High School
California Teacher of the Year and
National Teacher of the Year Contender |
Contra Costa County Teacher Selected to Represent California in 2019 National Teacher of the Year Competition
Read more here.
Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Finalists
New this year! Get to know our finalists—view a short video by clicking on their names below.
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Shanna Gagnon
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
California High School
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Kelly Perkins
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Ygnacio Valley High School
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Rosie Reid
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Northgate High School
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Andrea Salas
Martinez Unified School District
Alhambra High School
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2018-2019 District Teachers of the Year

Lynn Alamillo
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Bella Vista Elementary
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Glen Barker
Contra Costa County Office of Education
Northgate High School, CTE/ROP
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Joanne Chen
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Mira Vista School
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Cherie Giannotti
John Swett Unified
School District
Carquinez Middle School
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Elizabeth C. Gonzalez
Liberty Union High School District
Heritage High School
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Bonnie Ha
Walnut Creek School District
Buena Vista Elementary School
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Katie Halberg
Brentwood Union School District
Mary Casey Black Elementary
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Carol Levin
Orinda Union School District
Glorietta Elementary
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Cecil Nasworthy
Contra Costa Community College District
Los Medanos College
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Barry Penning
Byron Union School District
Discovery Bay Elementary School
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Erik Radkiewicz
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Pinole Valley High School
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Michael Ruibal
Pittsburg Unified School District
Black Diamond High School
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George Seymour
Oakley Union Elementary School District
O'Hara Park Middle School
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Michelle Stark
Antioch Unified School District
Deer Valley High School
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Karlene Steelman
Moraga School District
Joaquin Moraga Intermediate
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Katherine Walton
Acalanes Union High School District
Acalanes High School
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Scott Westphal
Lafayette School District
Burton Valley Elementary School
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Melissa Anne Wunschel
Knightsen Elementary School District
Knightsen Elementary School
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Note regarding eligible participants:
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Seventeen of the eighteen Contra Costa County school districts represented (plus the CCCOE) are participating in this year's TOY program.
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Each year, one instructor from Contra Costa Community College District is submitted to the TOY program for his/her outstanding body of work with their designated college. The colleges rotate each year between Diablo Valley, Los Medanos, and Contra Costa. This year, it is Diablo Valley College's turn. (These instructors do not compete in the State Teacher of the Year competition.)
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Due to the larger number of students in their districts, West Contra Costa USD, Mt. Diablo USD, and San Ramon Valley USD are allowed to select two TOY candidates.
2018-19 TEACHER OF THE YEAR SELECTION COMMITTEE
Phil Arnold, Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE)
Laura DeLehunt, Contra Costa County DA's Office
Barbara Diskowski, Diablo Vista Retired Teachers Association
Hilary Dito, Contra Costa County Office of Education
Luke Ellis, G.J.E.L. Accident Attorneys
Hon. Jill Fannin, Contra Costa County Superior Court
Karl Fischer, Contra Costa Health Services
Justin Fivella, Contra Costa Water District
Pamela Hoffsass, Contra Costa County Sheriff's Crime Lab
Toby Hopstone, CCCOE Administrative Leadership Program Coach
Emily Justice, Contra Costa County Office of Education
Aimee Lohr, Phillips 66
Marilyn Lucey, 32nd PTA
Aaron McAlister, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
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Ellen McDonnell, Contra Costa County Public Defenders' Office
Alison Mockoski, Contra Costa County Library
Dan Peddycord, Contra Costa Public Health
Dr. Heidimarie Rambo, St. Mary's College
Vera Rowsey, West Contra Costa Retired Teacher Association
Dan Sabalesky, Shell Martinez Refinery
Matthew Schuler, Contra Costa Sheriff's Office
Melissa Stafford Jones, Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation
Karen Ward, Contra Costa County Schools Insurance Group
Erica Williamson, Contra Costa County Schools Insurance Group
Dr. Fred Wood, Contra Costa Community College District
Susan Yamashita, Lafayette School District (ret)
Nicholas Zefeldt, CCCOE, Former SRVUSD Teacher of the Year
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ABOUT THE TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM
In 1972, California began recognizing outstanding teachers, establishing the Teachers of the Year Program. This program is open to all teachers in public schools who teach pre-kindergarten through college. Contra Costa County has participated in the program since its beginning, when Joseph E. Davis, Jr., of the Acalanes Union High School District, was named the county's first representative.
Since that time, eight teachers from this county have been State finalists: Janet Neill, San Ramon Valley Unified (1975); David Eakin, John Swett Unified (1981); William Thomas, Mt. Diablo Unified (1982); Janice Bergamini, Mt. Diablo Unified (1991); and Shauna Hawes, Mt. Diablo Unified (2017). The County has had four State winners: Mary Allan, Antioch Unified (2001); Janet Gower, Mt. Diablo Unified (2002); and William Pence, San Ramon Valley Unified (1999); and this year, Rosie Reid, Mt. Diablo Unified (2019). Both William Pence and Rosie Reid were selected to represent California at the National Teacher of the Year level.
List of past Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Representatives from 1977 to present (PDF)
The county's TOY program is directed by the CCCOE. With such a high caliber of teaching professionals to draw from, the CCCOE's TOY program uses a three-stage selection process, with a point and percentage system to determine the final candidate as follows:
I Application Screening:
On April 12, a committee representing the county's education, business, and public-sector partners will meticulously review the applications submitted by the school districts. This committee independently rates each application. After the application screening and scoring are completed, four teachers will be selected to advance to the next phase as semifinalists.
II Classroom Observation and Interview:
In April/May, a small committee of education specialists and business partners will observe the semifinalists interacting with their students. Immediately following, the committee interviews the candidates, discussing topics such as their teaching philosophy and techniques. The results of the two screening processes are then combined to determine the four finalists.
III Speech Presentation:
On July 24, the four TOY finalists will each give a three- to five-minute speech to another panel of a dozen educators, business, and public-sector representatives who will judge the finalists on their speech and presentation skills.
On the evening of September 26, 2019, all 22 TOYs, accompanied by their families, friends, and co-workers (an audience of approximately 450) will be honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Gala Dinner, held at the Hilton Concord. Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey, who serves as master of ceremonies, introduces the TOYs by sharing a special story that reflects her classroom visits of each teacher during the recent spring and summer months. This will be followed by the four finalists giving their three- to five-minute speeches (same speeches given in July) to the filled banquet room. The excitement-filled evening will come to a dramatic close with the announcement of the 2019-2020 Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year.
The County representatives are announced at the Awards Dinner in September at a gala affair that honors each district's Teacher of the Year. Local business and community organizations generously donate classroom grants, services and other items to each of the district winners.
HONOR OUR TEACHERS: DONATE TO THE TEACHERS OF THE YEAR PROGRAM
There are four major categories or levels for donating to the TOY Program:
Title Sponsor -- Chevron USA ($10,000)
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Visionaries: $5,000 to $9,999 range (2 complimentary tickets to the Gala dinner)
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Benefactors: $1,000 to $4,999 range
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Sponsors: $500 to $999 range
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Contributors: $499 or below in amount or services
Most sponsors earmark their grants for the teachers' classrooms or schools; Chevron, Inc. sponsors the dinner itself, and the cost of dinner for each of the Teachers of the Year and three of their guests, in addition to $5,000 towards classroom grant distributed amongst the Teachers of the Year.
Many thanks to our generous donors who made our program a success!
Chevron, Title Sponsor

Visionaries
Contra Costa County Office of Education
Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation
Saint Mary's College of California, Kalmanovitz School of Education
Wells Fargo Bank
 

Benefactors
Allegro Copy and Print
Bay Area Newspaper Group
C. Overaa and Company
Center REP/Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts
Fagen, Friedman and Fulfrost, LLP
Gillin Jacobson, Ellis, Larsen and Lucey
Accident Attorneys
John Muir Health
Kaiser Permanente
Mechanics Bank
The Oakland Athletics
Phillips 66
Shell Martinez Refinery
Sunset Development Company
Travis Credit Union
University of California, Berkeley Intercollegiate Athletics
USS POSCO Industries
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Sponsors
ACSA Region 6
Barrett Rodda, Short Story Films
Carlos Reyes
Dannis, Woliver and Kelley Attorneys at Law
Denalect Alarm
Keenan & Associates
Mike and Shari Maxwell
Office Depot
Pleasant Hill Rotary Foundation
Contributors
1st Northern California Credit Union
Capitol Advisors
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer
Cole Supply Company, Inc.
Contra Costa County School Insurance Group
Hilton Concord
Lakeshore Learning
Lozano Smith
O'Conner, Runckel, and O'Malley, LLP
Packaging Options USA
Peet's Coffee, Pleasant Hill
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