Knightsen Elementary School District 2019-20 Teacher of the Year Receives Special Visit
KNIGHTSEN, Calif., April 24, 2019 – Recently, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey visited teacher Katy Bracelin’s classroom, at Knightsen Elementary School, in Knightsen. Bracelin has been teaching all subjects to grade 3 during her 13 years at Knightsen. Earlier this year, the 17-year veteran teacher was honored by being named Knightsen Elementary School District’s Teacher of the Year (TOY).
On the evening of September 26, 2019, the 22 Contra Costa County TOYs, class of 2019-20, including Bracelin will be introduced and honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Gala, held at the Concord Hilton. The 22 TOYs will be accompanied by their families, friends, and co-workers. The expected crowd of close to 500 will also include numerous other supporters of the program. For more information about this year’s CCCOE TOY Program, please review this earlier-sent news release.
“Mrs. Bracelin’s reach on our campus goes far beyond teaching in her classroom,” reports Knightsen Elementary School District Principal/Superintendent Harvey Yurkovich. “She is our site’s STEAM coordinator and has also taken it upon herself to create and facilitate a character education for our TK-5th graders. With topics such as empathy, caring, responsibility, and being truthful and trustworthy are common topics that she covers with our students. I am continually amazed at her ability to create an assembly that captivates the wide ranges of age and interests of our students.”
Yurkovich adds, “As an educator, Mrs. Bracelin has a sound classroom program where all students feel that they belong. Students feel they are in a safe and caring environment. Her lessons include all students, regardless of their abilities.”
Currently, there are approximately 8,637 teachers educating more than 177,000 students in Contra Costa County’s public schools. To recognize their efforts and bring much-deserved honor to the teaching profession, the participating school districts in the county named their TOY representatives in mid-March.
The incoming 22 TOYs represent 17 Contra Costa County school districts, the Contra Costa Community College District, and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE). Most of these representatives, those who teach grades TK-12, are eligible to compete in the Contra Costa County TOY competition. The two top teachers in the county TOY program will represent Contra Costa County in the California State TOY Program this coming fall.
Note regarding eligible participants:
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. (These instructors do not compete in the State Teacher of the Year competition.) This year is Contra Costa College’s turn.
Due to the larger number of students and teachers in their districts, West Contra Costa USD, Mt. Diablo USD, and San Ramon Valley USD are allowed to submit two TOY candidates
Follow Contra Costa County’s Teacher of the Year program on Twitter and Instagram: #cocotoy