Sacramento County's 18 district Teachers of the Year 2009 were honored at Raley Field on Thursday, April 16, during a special pre-game ceremony of the Sacramento River Cats/Portland Beavers game.
The reigning Sacramento County Teachers of the Year, Janet Anderson, from Elliott Ranch Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, and Sylvia Rodriguez, from Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in the Sacramento City Unified School District, were among the honorees. Both threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
Officials from the River Cats organization joined State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon in greeting the Teachers of the Year on the field. Prior to the ceremony, the River Cats hosted honorees and their guests to a pre-game reception.
During the reception, the teachers received words of praise from Alan Ledford, President, General Manager, and Chief Operating Officer of the River Cats, as well as from Tony Asaro, River Cats Vice-President of Community Relations, and Chad Collins, Director of Ticket Sales.
In addition, Schools Financial Credit Union Membership Development Specialist Holly Brown was on hand to thank the teachers for their dedication to children and families and to give them special gift bags courtesy of the financial organization.
This is the third year for the Sacramento River Cats to recognize the area's top teachers with an evening specifically dedicated to the area's Teachers of the Year. On February 6, 2009, the Teachers of the Year were honored in special on-court ceremonies during the Sacramento Kings/Utah Jazz game.
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.
Information about the program is available online or by phoning the Sacramento County Office of Education: (916) 228-2417.