A middle school teacher from the Sacramento City Unified School District and an elementary school teacher from the Robla School District are the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2013, the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) announced August 15 at a countywide teacher recognition dinner.
Jennifer Ellerman teaches 7th Grade Language Arts at California Middle School in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Bob Crongeyer teaches 5th-6th grade GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) at Taylor Street School in the Robla School District in North Sacramento. The two were selected from among 15 Sacramento-area teachers to represent the county in the California Teachers of the Year competition.
A selection committee comprised of education professionals, including previous Teachers of the Year, interviewed each district Teacher of the Year and selected the two finalists. All 15 Sacramento-area teachers will be honored when the Sacramento Kings host the Phoenix Suns on Friday, March 8, 2013. The Sacramento River Cats will also host a special Teacher Appreciation Night on Friday, April 26, 2013, at Raley Field.
All of the school districts within the County of Sacramento, along with SCOE, are invited each year to participate in the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year program. Larger districts are eligible to submit two entries. Eleven local districts, including SCOE, participated this year.
Each district's Teacher of the Year completed a comprehensive application packet, which included an extensive biography and answered questions ranging from personal philosophy of teaching to an understanding of current education issues.
During the awards ceremony, each district Teacher of the Year was introduced by a current/former student, or a student's parent. David W. Gordon, County Superintendent of Schools, and trustees from the Sacramento County Board of Education, presented each of the Teachers of the Year with an inscribed award.
Outgoing Teachers of the Year Nicole Naditz (San Juan Unified) and Robert Brewer (Elk Grove Unified) announced the names of their successors. Sacramento County Board of Education President Greg Geeting presented the winners with the Elinor Lincoln Hickey Award of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the County Board of Education. Dan Dailey, representing the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry, awarded a perpetual trophy to the County Teachers of the Year.
Jennifer Ellerman and Bob Crongeyer are now eligible to advance to the statewide competition, out of which five teachers will be chosen as California Teachers of the Year.
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 2013 calendar year. Their names, and that of the individual selected as the state's nominee to the National Teacher of the Year program, will be announced later in the fall by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. Past Sacramento County Teachers of the Year are listed online.
The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is presented by the Sacramento County Office of Education in partnership with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, the Sacramento River Cats, the Intel Corporation Folsom, and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.
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Marci Phillips Center Joint Unified School District Oak Hill Elementary School 5th–6th Grade Studio Interview (YouTube)  Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Cindy Doyle Elk Grove Unified School District Elk Grove Elementary School 5th Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Laura Zhu Elk Grove Unified School District Toby Johnson Middle School Industrial Technology (Photoshop & Yearbook) Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Andrea Korven Elverta Joint School District Elverta Elementary School 2nd Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Kat Bahry Folsom Cordova Unified School District Mather Heights Elementary School 3rd Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Jasmine Reese Natomas Unified School District Natomas Park Elementary School 4th Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Beth Carli River Delta Unified School District Bates Elementary School 5th–6th Grades (Looped) Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Bob Crongeyer • Selected as County TOY 2013 Robla School District Taylor Street School 5th–6th Grades (GATE) Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Jennifer Ellerman • Selected as County TOY 2013 Sacramento City Unified School District California Middle School 7th Grade Language Arts Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Michelle Kuennen-Apperson Sacramento City Unified School District Sutterville Elementary School 6th Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Terri Edinburgh Sacramento County Office of Education Prairie Elementary School—West Campus Special Day Class, K–4th Grades Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Kevin Barone San Juan Unified School District Del Campo High School Math (Pre-Calculus, Geometry) Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Karen Lack San Juan Unified School District Lichen & Woodside K–8 Schools English Learner/Multicultural Education Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Jeffrey Roberson Twin Rivers Unified School District Woodridge Elementary School 4th Grade Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |
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Barbara Ann Selland Twin Rivers Unified School District Norwood Jr. High School 7th Grade GATE English, 8th Grade Yearbook & Art Studio Interview (YouTube) Banquet Speech (YouTube) |