Amgen Recognizes Teaching Excellence

Art teacher Bruce Kanegai received the greatest compliment from one of his students not too long ago.

She said he taught her mother 20 years ago at Simi Valley High School, and she considers him the best teacher she ever had.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Kanegai said.

Perhaps the second-greatest compliment came this week when Amgen Inc. named Kanegai one of five recipients of its annual Amgen Award for Teacher Excellence. The prize comes with a $10,000 prize. Humbly, Kanegai said he hopes he ably represents the high quality of teachers who surround him at Simi Valley High.

When his student’s mother was one of Kanegai’s pupils, in appearance anyway, he was a far cry from the closely cropped hair style and polo shirts he prefers today. He sported a Fu Manchu mustache, wore hiking boots and four earrings.

But his enthusiasm has changed little. Kanegai continues to read motivational books and listen to motivational tapes everyday. “I always feel like I’m a brand new teacher. I’ve been teaching 25 years.”

Other teachers honored by Amgen include Debra Bereki, an integrated science and geology teacher at Fillmore High; Dale Larson, a sixth-grade teacher at Dos Caminos Elementary School in Camarillo; Doug Ruby, a fifth-grade teacher at Los Nogales Elementary School in Camarillo; and Jon Sand, a first-grade teacher at Aspen Elementary School in Thousand Oaks.

It is the sixth year that the biotechnology giant has sought out Ventura County teachers to spotlight. The awards will be formally presented May 6 at a private dinner at the Ronald Reagan library.