2 Educators in County Are Top Teacher Semifinalists

Two Orange County teachers are among eight semifinalists for 1989 California Teacher of the Year, the state Department of Education announced Monday in Sacramento.

They are Shirley Bebereia of Santa Ana Valley High School in the Santa Ana Unified School District and Katherine Emiko Schymick of Lexington Junior High in Cypress, part of the Anaheim Joint Union High School District.

Four finalists will be selected from among the eight, and one of those will be the teacher of the year. The state Education Department said the finalists and teacher of the year will be announced about Nov. 14.

The other six semifinalists are: Sharon Baker, Sacramento City Unified; Victoria Engbrect, William S. Hart Union High School District, Los Angeles County; Steven Fairbank, Paso Robles Joint Union High School District, San Luis Obispo County; Jenlane Gee, Empire Union School District, Modesto; Joan L. McCollom, San Diego City Unified; and Joe Alfonso Smith, Ramona Unified, San Diego County.

The state Department of Education chose the semifinalists from Teacher of the Year nominees from all 58 counties. Orange County had four nominees this year; the others were Genie Aguilar of Santiago Hills School in the Irvine Unified School District and Kathleen Iverson of Westminster High in the Huntington Beach Union High School District.