A first-grade teacher from the Elk Grove Unified School District and a third-grade teacher from the San Juan Unified School District are the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2007.
Skye Mie Smith, from Prairie Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, and Cheryl Dultz, from Kingswood Elementary School in the San Juan Unified School District, were honored at the County Teachers of the Year banquet held September 6 at the Sacramento Hilton Hotel. Ms. Smith and Ms. Dultz were among the 16 local Teachers of the Year 2007 who were recognized at the annual event.
All of the school districts within the County of Sacramento, along with the Sacramento County Office of Education, 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.
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 Brian Cooley, President of the Sacramento County Board of Education, presented each of the Teachers of the Year with an inscribed award. Outgoing Teachers of the Year Allison Stiles and Tom Funk announced the names of Skye Mie Smith and Cheryl Dultz as their successors. County School Board Trustee Elinor L. Hickey, a former district and county Teacher of the Year, presented Ms. Smith and Ms. Dultz with the Award of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the County Board of Education. John Henman, representing the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry, awarded a perpetual trophy to be shared by Ms. Smith and Ms. Dultz during the 2006-07 school year.
Skye Mie Smith and Cheryl Dultz 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 2007. 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 and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.
The 16 Sacramento-area teachers will be honored during a special halftime presentation when the Sacramento Kings host the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Monday, February 5, 2007, at ARCO Arena.
Teachers of the Year 2007 Chosen by Sacramento-Area School Districts
| Photo | Teacher |
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Jean Luigi Center Unified School District Wilson C. Riles Middle School 6th Grade English/Language Arts, Social Studies Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Ryan Galles Del Paso Heights School District (Now part of Twin Rivers Unified School District) Garden Valley Elementary School 6th Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Teresa Bunner Elk Grove Unified School District Monterey Trail High School English, Department Chair Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Skye Mie Smith • Selected as County TOY 2007 Elk Grove Unified School District Prairie Elementary School 1st Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Dena Reeve Folsom Cordova Unified School District Folsom High School Sophomore English, Small Learning Communities Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Janine Raybe Galt Joint Union High School District Galt High School 10th Grade Honors English, Literacy Coach, Department Chair Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Karolee Smiley Grant Joint Union High School District Foothill Farms Junior High School 7th Grade Science (Life Science), AVID Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Goya Gutierrez Natomas Unified School District Natomas Middle School Special Education/Special Day Class Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Cherie Liu-Barba North Sacramento School District (Now part of Twin Rivers Unified School District) Hazel Strauch Elementary School 5th Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Bobbi Donovan Rio Linda Union School District Kohler Elementary School 1st Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Melinda Stephens-Bukey Robla School District Robla School 3rd Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Clay Dagler Sacramento City Unified School District Luther Burbank High School Pre Algebra–International Baccalaureate Math Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Marsha A. Stanley Sacramento City Unified School District Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School English, Drama Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Sharon Botkin Sacramento County Office of Education Northview & Neese Head Start Preschools Special Education Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Teri Berke San Juan Unified School District Casa Roble Fundamental High School English Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Cheryl Fox Dultz • Selected as County TOY 2007 San Juan Unified School District Kingswood Elementary School 3rd Grade Banquet Speech (YouTube) |