Teachers to be honored Nov. 5 are, from left, top row, Elsy Mora, Jennifer Peterson, Cara Leach and Kendall Stevens; bottom row, Crystal Guzman from El Camino Junior High School, Christina Roessler, Alyssa Spanier from Solvang School and Joanna Hendrix who teaches in Orcutt.
Teachers to be honored Nov. 5 are, from left, top row, Elsy Mora, Jennifer Peterson, Cara Leach and Kendall Stevens; bottom row, Crystal Guzman from El Camino Junior High School, Christina Roessler, Alyssa Spanier from Solvang School and Joanna Hendrix who teaches in Orcutt.
Two northern Santa Barbara County teachers are among six chosen to be honored Nov. 5 at “A Salute to Teachers,” where the county teacher of the year and performing arts teacher of the year will also be recognized.
Crystal Guzman, a teacher at El Camino Junior High School in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, is one of three teachers named distinguished new educator by the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
Alyssa Spanier, who teaches at Solvang School in the Solvang School District, is one of three chosen as a distinguished mentor, the County Education Office said.
Each year, school administrators, education colleagues and others are invited to nominate mentor teachers who demonstrate exceptional instructional practices and leadership and new teachers who demonstrate early career success and outstanding skill, an Education Office spokesperson said.
The final winners are chosen by a selection committee made up of expert educators, administrators, business and community partners and a previous county teacher of the year.
“This year, we are celebrating six distinguished mentors and new educators who bring wisdom and energy to their school communities and talents and expertise to our students,” said Susan Salcido, county superintendent of schools.
She said the awards amplify the importance of investing in the next generation of teachers.
Guzman teaches English language arts and leadership at El Camino Junior High, where she “has reignited school spirit” and won the Nicholson Hero Award for her efforts to improve the school, the Education Office spokesperson said.
“[Crystal] never fails to ask how she can improve,” said an unidentified colleague. “She asks questions about the many skills teachers must master: content, pedagogy and school climate. She handles new concepts beautifully and with curiosity.”
Spanier is described as “a dynamic teacher and natural leader” on the Solvang School campus, where she teaches English language arts and mentors new teachers.
“Alyssa is always checking in on me, reminding me of deadlines, and providing very thorough feedback on my assignments,” said one of the new teachers.
During the pandemic, Spanier became a Google-certified teacher and trained the staff on how to use Google Classroom to provide remote instruction, the Office of Education spokesperson said.
Her leadership with the language arts team has resulted in increased rigor and success in the literacy curriculum, the spokesperson said, and she volunteers to run the student government and graduation rehearsal every year.
Two other North County teachers also will be recognized at the November event — Joanna Hendrix, who was named Santa Barbara County’s teacher of the year for 2023, and Jennifer Peterson, named the 2023 Santa Barbara Bowl performing arts teacher of the year.
Hendrix is employed by the County Education Office and teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students from the Santa Maria and Orcutt area.
Her classroom on the campus of Ralph Dunlap Elementary School in the Orcutt Union School District is one of 17 special education preschool classrooms operated by the Education Office countywide.
Peterson, who has a 25-year career in performing arts education, is the choir and theater director at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc Unified School District, where in the last 15 years she has staged 34 plays and musicals with her students.
“I mean full-length Broadway shows, with the exact same books and music you’d see in New York or on any professional theater company’s stage, done on a shoestring budget in eight weeks of rehearsal,” said Garson Olivieri, a Cabrillo teacher who nominated her for the award.
Other distinguished new educators to be honored at the event are Elsy Mora from La Colina Junior High School and Kendall Stevens from La Cumbre Junior High School, both in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
The other distinguished mentors to be honored are Cara Leach from Foothill Elementary School in the Goleta Union School District and Christina Roessler from Peabody Charter School in Santa Barbara.
“A Salute to Teachers” will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, hosted by the Santa Barbara County Education Office and founding co-sponsor Cox Communications, with support from other sponsors.
For more information about attending the event, visit www.sbceo.org/salute; contact Steve Keithley, director of teacher programs and support, at 805-964-4710, ext. 5281; or email the Santa Barbara County Education Office Teachers Network at teachersnetwork@sbceo.org.
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