Nurturing, compassionate, helpful, positive, kind and energizing. Those are some of the words administrators use to describe Jurupa Unified's Teachers of the Year.
The Board of Education on Monday honored 24 standout instructors, one representing each of the district's school sites. School principals emphasized the top teachers' work ethic, dedication to craft, and focus on putting students first.
Of the 24, special congratulations go to three teachers who move on for consideration in the Riverside County Teacher of the Year awards: Martha Rodriguez of Sunnyslope Elementary, Anne Cox of Mira Loma Middle, and Geoff Holt of Rubidoux High. Here are short bios of the fantastic teachers in the running for countywide honors this spring:
Sunnyslope Elementary – Martha Rodriguez
The Sunnyslope Dino family is honored to recognize Mrs. Martha Rodriguez as the Teacher of the Year. Martha embodies the skill, traits, and personality of an excellent teacher, but it's her heart for students, families, and colleagues that shines so brightly through each day. Mrs. Rodriguez is committed to the success of every child. She supports struggling students by providing weekly afterschool study sessions on her own time. She is always willing to share resources and ideas with her colleagues. This year she shared her knowledge at the DI consortium, and has consistently been a pillar to the Dual-Language Immersion program. She also supports and mentors new teachers in the District's Induction program. We thank you, Martha, for your dedication to the profession and to the success of every student!
Mira Loma Middle – Anne Cox
Anne "Pumpkin" Cox has been teaching Math and AVID at Mira Loma Middle School for 22 years. Her passion for teaching is evident in her interaction with each student, each and every day. In her welcoming and supporting class environment, she continuously helps students make positive choices. For middle school students, that is not a small task. She has a genuine love for her students and finds joy when she sees them succeeding. She worked extensively to build the AVID program as a teacher and coordinator. She chaperones field trips, dances, carnival booths and after school activities, and she has coordinated career days, art shows, talent shows, field day, a whale watching field trip, earth day, and culture day and many other events. Mira Loma Middle is excited that Anne Cox is the school's teacher of the year.
Rubidoux High School – Geoff Holt
In 2010, Geoff Holt was assigned to Rubidoux High School to start a program for Adult students with Moderate disabilities. His task was to assist these students with life skills that they could hopefully use one day to become more independent and possibly live on their own. Geoff took it and put all he had into it: energy, enthusiasm, and some more energy. Soon his students were cooking, cleaning, growing a garden, riding the bus, ordering food from restaurants, shopping at Stater Bros., helping at the Senior Center, and so much more. The program became so successful that soon a second and later a third teacher were added due to parents and students desiring to continue their education and work on these valuable life skills. The program has continued to thrive and grow, including adopting a local park, volunteering at the Cultural Center, and assisting at local elementary schools. This all started with the vision, passion, and, yes, ENERGY of Mr. Geoffrey Holt. Congratulations!
The full list of Teachers of the Year:
Camino Real – LeAnn Bryan
Glen Avon – Alanna Mitchell
Granite Hill – Kara Davis
Ina Arbuckle – Martha Molina
Indian Hills – Bertha Fletes
Mission Bell – Sarah Hirst
Pacific Avenue – Shayna Fields
Pedley – Sally Chan
Peralta – Katie Mitchell
Rustic Lane – Julia Quinto
Sky Country – Jeanine Gonzales
Stone Avenue – Michelle Gleason
Sunnyslope – Martha Rodriguez
Troth Street – Katherine Schulz
Van Buren – Heather Wright
West Riverside – Dolores Hernandez
Jurupa Middle – Alisha Sylvester
Mira Loma Middle – Anne Cox
Mission Middle – Maureen Thurman
Jurupa Valley High School – Teresa Miner
Patriot High School – George Fillinger
Rubidoux High School – Geoff Holt
STEPS Community Day School - Pam Walker
Nueva Vista – Nicole Sutherland
Congratulations to all of our honorees!
