Sacramento County's 15 district Teachers of the Year 2010 were honored at Raley Field on Monday, May 3, during a special pre-game ceremony before the Sacramento River Cats vs. Salt Lake Bees baseball game.
The reigning Sacramento County Teachers of the Year, JoEllen Shanks, from Stone Lake Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, and Deb House, from Kingswood Elementary School in the San Juan Unified School District, were among the honorees. Both threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
Officials from the Sacramento 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 Tony Asaro, River Cats Vice-President of Community Relations, and Greg Colletti, Manager of Corporate Partnerships.
Schools Financial Credit Union Membership Development Specialist Holly Brown, and Steve Haydu, Joint Venture Partner for Panera Bread, were also on hand to thank the teachers for their dedication to children and families and to give them special gift bags courtesy of their companies.
This is the fourth 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 5, 2010, the Teachers of the Year were honored in a special on-court ceremony during the Sacramento Kings/Phoenix Suns game. At a special dinner on April 20, teachers JoEllen Shanks and Deb House were honored by the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.
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 Teachers of the Year program is available online or by phoning the Sacramento County Office of Education at (916) 228-2417.