EYE ON EDUCATION A Publication of the Paramount Unified School District
15110 CALIFORNIA AVE., PARAMOUNT, CA 90723 • TEL: 562-602-6000 • FAX: 562-634-6029
JUNE 2008
PARAMOUNT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR: 2008 CELEBRATION District staff, members of the Board of Education, and community leaders joined in the celebration of each school site’s Teacher of the Year at Jackson School on Wednesday, May 7th from 3:15 until 5:15 p.m. The program was moderated by Assistant Superintendent Stella Toibin and the Board of Education Trustees awarded the recipients a plaque. Teachers don’t always realize the impact they have had or can have in the life of a student, but this day’s program provided evidence in the form of testimonials from students, teachers, and administrators that teachers have an effect on the lives of students each and every day. Each year, teachers at each school site are asked to select one outstanding teacher who will represent that school in the District-wide Teacher of the Year selection process. In making that selection, teachers are asked to consider the following criteria: a teacher who is committed to continued professional development training, one who supports his/her colleagues to improve their skills, a teacher who is involved in educational activities beyond the school, a positive problem solver, one who delivers a high quality instructional program, and a teacher who communicates positively with students and parents. Once the District-wide Teacher of the Year has been determined through a Selection Committee of teachers and administrators from across the District, that one District-level recipient has the opportunity to apply for the Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year competition. If the candidate is identified as a County winner, their name moves forward to the State level of competition. This year’s Teachers of the Year and their school sites are as follows:
(pictured left to right) Superintendent Dr. David J. Verdugo, Board Member Alicia Anderson, District Teacher of the Year Maria Loredo, Board Member Tony Peña, and Assistant Superintendent-Educational Services Stella Toibin.
Early Childhood Education -Theresa Ybarra Alondra School - Maria Enciso Collins School - Sandra Gonzalez Gaines School - Tracy Espina Hollydale School - Michelle Cribari Jackson School - Kim L. Karnsrithong Jackson School - Maritza Magaña Jefferson School - Dolores Barrios Mark Keppel School - Cindy Tsang Lakewood School - Xiomara Mateo-Gaxiola Lincoln School - Joseph D. Jackson Los Cerritos School - Marya Hughes Mokler School - Shelley Monroe Paramount Park School - Teresa Marie Reno Roosevelt School - Julie Quintero Howard Tanner School - Maria Loredo Harry Wirtz School - Marisa Loza Frank Zamboni School - Delia M. Kiely Buena Vista High School - Garett Lepper Paramount High School West - Cara Cruzan Paramount High School - David Yakubovsky Community Day School/ Adult Ed. Center - Jose Lino Vargas This year’s District-wide Teacher of the Year is Maria Loredo, a third grade teacher, from Tanner School. Maria has been teaching for ten years and what she enjoys most about the teaching profession is the time she spends with
her students in the classroom and the realization that she may be a source of inspiration to them. She shares that the best reward for a teacher is the knowledge that he/she may inspire his/her students to follow their educational dreams to work hard at whatever they may decide to do in the future. Maria is truly an inspiration to her students. Maria was the first of her family to attend college and ultimately receive a masters’ degree. She went to school at night and it took her ten years to receive her teaching degree but she paved the way for her four siblings that followed in her footsteps. Her husband and her family supported her and were very proud of her achievements. Her parents always told her that education was the only way to get ahead in life. Maria believes that her role is to facilitate the learning of all her students and to guide them to ultimately become productive
citizens in our society. She considers herself a role model for her students and thinks her children’s ideas should be acknowledged and the students should be encouraged to become independent thinkers. Nothing would please her more than to hear that one of her students decided to attend college, went into the sciences, dedicated themselves to serving others or followed a similar endeavor because she inspired them to do so. She is of the belief that “perhaps success cannot be measured with a numerical score, but by the faith a child chooses to place in you as a teacher and, consequently, as a person.” Congratulations to Maria Loredo, Paramount Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year! She inspires all of us to do our best for the students and families of the Paramount Unified School District!
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES June 10, 2008 – June 24, 2008 Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the District Office, 15110 California Avenue, Paramount, and are open to the public