2 El Camino Teachers Win Awards

Marcia Koenig and Laura Miller are not your average high school teachers.

Koenig, who teaches literature at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, introduces “Hamlet” by describing the Danish prince’s tragic family life as a modern soap opera. Her students say she speaks perfect Shakespearean English.

Miller, an energetic foreign-language instructor at El Camino, plays a daily vocabulary game in which she calls out words in English while tossing a ball to students, who must instantly translate them into French or Spanish.

“The two of them are extraordinary women who always go the extra mile,” said recent graduate Nicole Sauler, 18. “They’ll often come in at 7 in the morning and will miss lunch in order to help us with assignments. They make us want to be our very best.”

The pair were among 25 Los Angeles educators recognized at the 13th annual Los Angeles Excellence in Education Awards ceremony held recently at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The winning teachers and counselors, who each received $2,000, were selected from among 125 finalists nominated by Los Angeles Unified School District students from dozens of elementary, middle and high schools.

The ceremony was sponsored by the Fulfillment Fund, a nonprofit organization that identifies promising disadvantaged students and provides them with mentors who work one-on-one with them from eighth grade through high school graduation. The fund also provides the students with paid internships, college counseling and $5,000 college scholarships.

“I was flabbergasted, speechless, amazed,” Miller said of her selection. “I didn’t even know that I’d been nominated.”

The San Fernando Valley native said she became a teacher because she was good at foreign languages and believed she could relate to students, especially those who struggle in school.

“I love the students; they’re the best part of teaching,” said Miller, 43. “I love the challenge of helping them succeed. They keep me young at heart.”

Her students agree.

“Mrs. Miller has so much energy,” said senior Jake Lin, 17. “She keeps us on our toes.”

Lindsay Ito, 17, agrees:

“She’s uplifting; she wears bright dresses and runs around the class. She’ll talk to us about anything. She’s a good friend and a teacher.”

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Koenig, who first taught at Van Nuys High School, has been English department chairwoman at El Camino since 1986. She set her sights on teaching from the time she was in elementary school.

An English literature enthusiast and world traveler, Koenig believes in an interactive approach to teaching. Her students work on group projects that allow them to become authorities in the subjects they are researching.

“I like them to become the experts, to apply what they learn to life.”

Koenig volunteers in the school’s mentor program and heads a new literacy program targeted at ninth-graders.

“I always hope that my love of literature transfers,” she said.

No problem there.

“She is a fabulous teacher; she’s great to listen to,” Sauler said.

“The experience was much more than an English class. We’re all in awe of her.”

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