By Lou Ponsi

Para ver la versión en Español, por favor haga clic aquí.

Capistrano Unified announced its three districtwide Teachers of the Year on Thursday, Feb. 3 in three uplifting visits to school sites where the teachers were given the great news.

A group of Capistrano Unified School District officials, colleagues, friends and family visited each school site Thursday morning to present flowers, hugs, and support to the newly minted District Teachers of the Year.

The winning educators were selected as their school site’s Teacher of the Year, making them candidates for the award at the District level. These three winning teachers go on to become candidates for Orange County Teacher of the Year, which will be announced later this year.

The Capistrano Unified Teachers of the Year are chosen by a panel that includes the Capistrano Unified Education Association, former Teachers of the Year, administrators from all levels, and Capistrano Unified School District staff members.

The candidates must fill out an application, respond to four essay questions, and provide their resume and two letters of recommendation. In the application, teachers describe their community service activities, personal teaching philosophy, describe the major issues in public education and provide a possible resolution, and describe their greatest accomplishment in education.

Click here to view the 2022 Teacher of the Year for elementary school.

Click here to view the 2022 Teacher of the Year for high school.

The 2022 Capistrano Unified Middle School Teacher of the Year is:

Sergio Sanabria, Marco Forster Middle School

Marco Forster Middle School teacher Sergio Sanabria remembers what it felt like as a youngster to not have easy access to the resources he needed to succeed. He reached out to his own teachers to help him find his way.

Now Sanabria is the teacher giving back, helping to provide those resources to his eighth-grade students.

For his understanding and passion for providing his students with the tools needed for future success, Sanabria was named 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year for the Capistrano Unified School District.

“I’m super elated that I am able to represent such a wonderful community,” said Sanabria upon receiving the award. “The (community) means everything.”

Sanabria has been a teacher with Capistrano Unified since 2013, and has taught math, algebra, data science, AVID, and math intervention, piloted College Preparatory Mathematics, been a PBIS committee member, a member of the Implicit Bias Task Force, a GRIP mentor, created an after-school Ping Pong Club and Math Club, and more.

“Sergio has true passion and dedication. He goes above and beyond,” Marco Forster Assistant Principal Leticia Gonzalez said. “He is an exceptional teacher, a great leader on our campus, and really gets to know our students. He really understands the community that we serve, and he is dedicated to making sure their needs are met.”

Sanabria is the first in Capistrano Unified to create a data science course, which represents a new pathway in the California Mathematics Framework. He invites professionals to speak to his classroom to inspire students and spark interest in future careers.

“His focus on students is evident in the relationships that he builds with students, their siblings, their parents, and even their extended families,” a principal wrote. “He provides before school, after school, lunch, and tutorial support every day for any students who need to advance their understanding of math.”

Prior to joining Capistrano Unified he worked as an instructional coach for the Breakthrough Collaborative, coaching aspiring math teachers and working to break the cycle of poverty through the power of education.

Sanabria started substitute teaching while working his main job in the evening when he began to rethink his career aspirations and consider a career in teaching.

“I was reluctant to go back to school but I knew that this was my calling so I did everything I could to become a math teacher and I’ve never looked back,” Sanabria said.

Click here to view the 2022 Teacher of the Year for elementary school.

Click here to view the 2022 Teacher of the Year for high school.

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