5 educators chosen as Teachers of the Year
Five educators have been named California Teachers of the Year, the state Department of Education announced Thursday.
Chosen from among 60 applicants, the honorees are: Alastair Inman, a science teacher at Lexington Junior High School in Orange County; Alex Kajitani, a math teacher at Mission Middle School in San Diego County; Jose L. Navarro IV, a social studies and history teacher at Sylmar High School in Los Angeles; Mark Teeters, a music teacher at Vintage High School in Napa County; and Loredana Wicketts, a third-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary in Riverside County.
The awardees underwent a three-phase selection process that included a review of their submitted essays, site visits to their classrooms and an interview. State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell made the final decision.
All five teachers will be recognized at a dinner in Sacramento in February and will participate in a weeklong cultural exchange program in Japan next spring. One will be selected to represent California in the national competition.
For more information on the California Teachers of the Year program, go to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/ct.
-- Corina Knoll
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