The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) hosted an information reception yesterday to honor its teachers who had been nominated as candidates for 2019 SCOE Teacher of the Year. The nominees represent the diversity of educational services provided by SCOE, ranging from programs for children with severe disabilities to intervention programs for youth. Many of the administrators, colleagues, parents of students, and fellow staff members who nominated the teachers also attended.
Nominees were given an overview of the process and encouraged to move forward in the competition—requiring written essays and a formal interview. SCOE will announce its 2019 Teacher of the Year selection in late April.
SCOE 2019 Teacher of the Year Nominees
- Emily Berger (Alternative Education – Sutter Middle School CARE Program)
- Joann Day (Special Education – Dry Creek Elementary)
- Michele Deems (Vision Specialist, Special Education)
- Cynthia Guzman (Special Education – Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. H.S.)
- Ricky Karicas (Alternative Education – Eleanor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. H.S.)
- Shawn O’Briant (Special Education – CSUS)
- Eziuche Okemiri (Resource Specialist, Special Education)
- Nicholas Papagiannopoulos (Special Education – Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. H.S.)
- Ju Park (Special Education – Bannon Creek Elementary)
- Suzanne “Fern White” (Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program
All public school districts within Sacramento County, local charter schools, plus SCOE, are invited to participate each year in the countywide Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program. The program is coordinated by 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.
At a recognition dinner planned for this August, two teachers will be identified as the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year and will be eligible to participate in the statewide competition.
Business partners supporting the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program include the Sacramento Kings, the Sacramento River Cats, and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.