Downey : High School Math Teacher Wins Top Honor in Contest
A Downey math instructor has won top honors in the annual Jaime Escalante Mathematics Teacher Awards. Deborah Hack, who teaches at Downey High School, received a $1,500 award in the contest, which is named after Escalante, a former Los Angeles calculus teacher who was the subject of the movie “Stand and Deliver.”
Students nominate teachers for the award. For this year’s contest, students wrote about 190 essays in support of 70 Los Angeles County teachers.
A panel of teachers, students, school administrators and community members reviewed the essays and evaluated nominees based on their ability to teach, encourage and motivate students.
Other area teachers also did well in the annual contest. Patricia Farber from Bellflower High School, Randall Pearson from South Gate Middle School and Jay Hagey from Jordan High School in Long Beach each received $1,000 awards in ceremonies held earlier this month at the Arco Tower in Los Angeles.
The competition is sponsored by the nonprofit Los Angeles Educational Partnership and funded by Arco.
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