The Ed Fund celebrated and honored the excellence of five West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers T h e E d F u n d • 1 7 C W . R i c h m o n d A v e • R i c h m o n d , C A 9 4 8 0 1 and 67 Ed Fund Scholarship winners at its 27th Annual Soaring to Excellence Celebration in April at the El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater. This year, the Ed Fund also showcased the work of its College Access Network and Out-of School Time collaborative partners by recognizing a Collaborative Partner of the Year. Student performances by two Ed Fund Arts & Music Impact Grantees, the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and Mira Vista Elementary School Oakland Youth Chorus, were also featured. Brent Knapp, Special Education Teacher, Lupine Hills Elementary School Brent’s goal as an educator has always been simple: to make learning fun. “I find that when I am enjoying my time in the classroom, my students respond in a positive way. This sense of camaraderie and support leads to students being engaged with the learning process, which translates into academic success.” His three key steps to making learning fun, engaging, and productive are to create a classroom environment that is student centered, to use multiple modalities to help his students grasp and comprehend information, and to facilitate open communication with parents, fellow teachers, and administrators. “I go to work every day knowing that what happens in my classroom can change the life track of my students.” Maribel Lopez, 2nd Grade Teacher, Dover Elementary School Maribel’s teaching is based on a very important foundational principle:” All of my students can achieve academic success. Our class motto, painted on our wall states, “The harder I work, the smarter I get!” This growth mindset has been crucial to ensuring all students understand they are not “born smart” but are able to focus, work hard and improve their success based on their effort. Maribel believes that teaching is the most challenging, important and rewarding work she has ever done. She has a small frame on her desk that reads, “The beautiful thing about teaching is that it matters. The hardest thing about teaching is that it matters every day.” This idea has been central to inspiring her to do her best for her students every single day. Reprint - altered to provide the corrected version. 2015 Teaching excellence award winners The five 2015 Teaching Excellence Awards winners who were honored at the Soaring to Excellence Celebration share a profound passion for instilling a love of learning in their diverse students so that these students can attain their goals and realize their dreams. By carefully and thoughtfully weaving creativity, adherence to high standards, profound knowledge of the subjects being taught, and appreciation of individual differences, needs and strengths, these award winning teachers raise the quality of education to new heights. 26 MARKETPLACEcontrac osta .com july 2015
Contra Costa Marketplace - July 2015
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