Sacramento County's 16 district Teachers of the Year 2007, including Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Skye Mie Smith, and Cheryl Dultz, were honored at ARCO Arena on Monday, February 5, during halftime of the Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
The Teachers of the Year 2007 were featured in a special halftime ceremony witnessed by a capacity crowd of 17,317. Officials from Maloof Sports and Entertainment joined Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon and State Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell in greeting Teachers of the Year on the basketball court.
Prior to the ceremony, the Kings hosted honorees and their guests to a pre-game reception and dinner. Kings rookie guard Quincy Douby joined the teachers, their guests, and dignitaries for a commemorative photo.
During the pre-game reception, Superintendent Gordon presented each teacher with a generous check for $200 to be used for classroom supplies. The charitable donation was provided by an anonymous supporter of education. Karen Robinson-Salley, Director of Community Service for Maloof Sports and Entertainment, announced that the Kings would be making a donation of $500 worth of books to the school libraries of the two Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2007.
For more than a dozen years, the Sacramento Kings organization has supported recognition of the area's top teachers.
The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year program is coordinated annually by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) to recognize the achievements of local educators and to raise awareness of the valuable role that teachers play in the lives of their students and in the community. The program is presented by SCOE in partnership with Maloof Sports and Entertainment and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.
Information about the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is available online or by calling the Sacramento County Office of Education at (916) 228-2417.