FANTASTIC FOUR: WEST CONTRA COSTA PUBLIC
ED FUND ANNOUNCES TEACHING EXCELLENCE WINNERS
T h e E d F u n d • 2 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 One has been teaching for 30-plus years; another is in their third year of teaching, and two others are approaching
a decade. One deals with words, the other with actions. Another teaches the District’s oldest students, while the other
introduces the littlest ones to the world of K-12 education. But as different as the teachers from Helms Middle School,
Richmond and Pinole Valley High School and Nystrom Elementary School are, they share four things in common.
They all: Love teaching • Love learning • Love watching their students grow and..
THEY ARE THE WEST CONTRA COSTA PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND’S 2019
TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS.
All four teachers will be celebrated at Ed Fund’s Annual Soaring to Excellence Celebration
from 6:30pm - 9pm on FRIDAY, MAY 10 at the Richmond Country Club.
Go to edfundwest.org for more details.
Nystrom Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Fernanda Gonzalez Hausske, Pinole Valley High School
Health Sciences teacher Dan O’Shea, Richmond High School English teacher Madison Schmalz, and Helms
Middle School Physical Education teacher, Doug Silva, were all surprised by a contingent of District officials, Ed
Fund members, principals, fellow teachers, along with family with the announcement one morning.
“Today is a such a great day because we are not only celebrating the great things happening in our classrooms
by these fantastic teachers, but it also shows how this is truly a schoolwide effort.” Superintendent Matthew Duffy
said. “All four of the schools where these wonderful people teach have great leaders, cultures, and staff that are doing
everything they can for students.”
The quartet received a snippet of what is to come. Dan O’Shea, Douglas Silva, and Madison Schmalz were all
treated to music celebrations by their respective school bands and were surprised by family members and presented
with a personalized Teaching Excellence Banner.
Two of the four winners, Dan O’Shea and Doug Silva, were also selected as the District’s Teachers of the Year
and will move on to the Contra Costa County competition.
32 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM MAY 2019