SPANISH VERSION

By Lou Ponsi

All Teacher of the Year celebrations are special, but Capistrano Unified School District’s 2022 Teacher of the Year event had an extra sparkle.

For starters, this year’s celebration held March 10, 2022 at San Juan Hills High School was the first time the festivities took place indoors since March 13, 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the nation and the world.

The room was filled with supporters, including Board President Martha McNicholas, Vice President Krista Castellanos, Clerk Gila Jones, Trustees Judy Bullockus, Lisa Davis and Amy Hanacek, and Superintendent Kirsten Vital Brulte, as the 59 honorees – one from each of the district’s schools and special curriculums – along with the elementary, middle, and high school Teachers of the Year for the entire district, were seated on stage in San Juan Hills High’s performing arts building as Superintendent Kirsten Vital Brulte explained how this year’s group of standout educators guided their students through the 2020-2021 school year amid unprecedented challenges.

“Within days of the national shutdown … a blueprint for how school would operate for 47,000 students and 5,000 teachers, classified staff, and administrators was drawn up,” Brulte said. “Never has there been a more challenging time. Never has it been clearer to so many people how valuable, how essential, and how dedicated our teachers are in the important role you play in the lives of students and their families every day.”

Joy Schnapper, president of Capistrano Unified Education Association, said finding the right words to “celebrate some of the most amazing educators in our district” was difficult.

“The struggle I feel is the struggle that we all have felt for the past 2-plus years,” Schnapper said. “Yet, you persevered through the struggles during the craziest of times, and your colleagues picked you as the teacher of the year from their sites to recognize your stellar accomplishments throughout these struggles.”

As guests walked into the San Juan Hills High School performing arts building, the Newhart Middle School orchestra performed. Then, during a break in the ceremony, a vocal quartet from Tesoro High School graced guests with song.

Each school’s Teacher of the Year was announced and introduced on stage to wild applause and cheering from the joyous audience. Some of the honorees had been teaching for more than 25 years, while the newest had been teaching for about four years.

The district’s Teachers of the Year were also introduced: Karen Kauo (Castille), Elementary School Teacher of the Year; Sergio Sanabria (Marco Forster), Middle School Teacher of the Year; and Marie Finman (San Juan Hills), High School Teacher of the Year.
Not only did teachers instruct students during the shutdown, many helped each other navigate through never-before-used technology, CUSD Board of Trustees president Martha McNicholas said.

“How many had ever attended a Zoom meeting?” McNicholas asked. “How many had used Google Classroom interactively?”
Teachers learned how to use the online teaching tool Canvas and then taught other teachers to use it, she said.

“You learned how to take virtual field trips, create puppet shows behind your kitchen counter and demonstrate volcanoes on your patio,” McNicholas said. “You endured Zoom bombers and saw way too many kitchen backgrounds, but you also learned to recognize when your students needed extra attention…academically and emotionally.”

Some newfound strategies also emerged from the new systems of teaching during the pandemic, McNicholas said. One positive outcome resulted from unprecedented collaboration amongst and between teachers and administrators, across campuses and between campuses, she said.

“And I hope we can use both these technical skills and the collaborative skills we’ve learned to guide us into what we all hope will be the new normal,” McNicholas said.

Scroll all the way to the end for additional photos from the event. 

The 2022 Teacher of the Year are listed below.

An * designates those honored with the District Teacher of the Year title

ELEMENTARY

Lisa Roberts, Harold Ambuehl Elementary
Jerika Bright, Arroyo Vista Elementary
Michelle Kleindienst, Bathgate Elementary
Keelie Ingraham, Truman Benedict Elementary
Uma Mainprize, Marian Bergson Elementary
Katie Pearson, Canyon Vista Elementary
Karen Kauo, Castille Elementary*
Lisa Bartik, Chaparral Elementary
Kendra Gerhard, Concordia Elementary
Andrea Brannam, R. H. Dana Elementary
Ainaria Johnson, R.H. Dana ENF
Stephanie Ettinger, Del Obispo Elementary
Erica Bisaccia, Don Juan Avila Elementary
Jen Austin, Esencia Elementary
All Staff, Carl Hankey Elementary
Jihan Nassar-Medhat, Hidden Hills Elementary
Gina Gearn, Kinoshita Elementary
Kayla Evans, Ladera Ranch Elementary
Kathy Bennett, Laguna Nigel Elementary
Julie Blandino, Las Flores Elementary
Gayle Morrison-Lantz, Las Palmas Elementary
Laura Trudeau, Clarence Lobo Elementary
Jan Mortenson, John S. Malcom Elementary
Jessica DeGennaro, Marblehead Elementary
Amy Zeppa, Moulton Elementary
Jeffrey Xa, Oak Grove Elementary
Angie Portnoff, Oso Grande Elementary
Cathy Pearson, Palisades Elementary
Lisa Estrada, Philip Reilly Elementary
Erlinda Felipe, San Juan Elementary
Christee McCarthy, Tieras Creek Elementary
Lidia Fernald, Viejo Elementary
Terri Adams, Vista del Mar Elementary
Rachael Gildea, Wagon Wheel Elementary
Giovana McFaul, George White Elementary
Stacia Labounty, Wood Canyon Elementary
Sharon Evans, Elementary School Music

MIDDLE

Peter Hartman, Aliso Viejo Middle
Valerie Dambach, Arroyo Vista Middle
Tony Zerrer, Bernice Ayer Middle
Larissa Martus, Don Juan Avila Middle
Michelle Skidmore, Esencia Middle
Leslie Maher, Carl Hankey Middle
Carrie Gray, Ladera Ranch Middle
Todd Theurer, Las Flores Middle
Sergio Sanabria, Marco Forster Middle*
Heather Carlsen, Fred Newhart Middle
Shannon El-Sokkary, Niquel Hills Middle
Sarah McKeon, Shorecliffs Middle
Lisa Velez, Vista del Mar Middle

HIGH SCHOOL

Franco Arena, Aliso Niquel High School
Brian Mulligan, Capistrano Valley High School
Beck Reid, Dana Hills High School
Kristen Dimperio, San Clemente High School
Marie Finman, San Juan Hills High School*
Jaime Runyan, Tesoro High School
Elizabeth Rose, Cal Prep Academy & Capo Virtual School
Cory Quinn, Union & Fresh Start
Amanda Bacopulos, Adult Transition

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