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A Salute to Teachers
October 28, 2017 @ 2:30 am PDT
Eight exemplary educators in Santa Barbara County will be honored Oct. 28 at the fifth annual “A Salute to Teachers” event hosted by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO). Three teachers have been chosen as Distinguished New Educators, while three others have been recognized as Distinguished Mentors. Additionally, Santa Barbara County’s 2018 Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Cline from Oak Valley Elementary in Buellton, and the 2018 Santa Barbara Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year, Garson Olivieri from Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, will be recognized.
The gala event will be held at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. A Salute to Teachers partners SBCEO with Cox and a variety of sponsors, including Anthem-Blue Cross, Fielding Graduate University, Montecito Bank & Trust, Noozhawk, the Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara City College Foundation, and others. Cox has sponsored a similar celebration for almost 30 years in San Diego, and is honored to continue this great tradition of teacher recognition for Santa Barbara educators.
The Distinguished New Educators, nominated by their peers and chosen by a committee through the SBCEO, are: Desiree Hitch (Ernest Righetti High School, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District); Jani Lindberg (Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and Santa Ynez Valley Special Education Consortium, Santa Ynez Valley High Union School District); and Kelley Keene (San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District).
The Distinguished Mentors, selected in the same fashion, are: Christine Petrone (Manzanita Public Charter School, Lompoc Unified School District); Denise Stevens (Rice Elementary, Santa Maria-Bonita School District); and Kevin O’Hara (Carpinteria Middle School, Carpinteria Unified School District).
“We are excited at the opportunity to celebrate outstanding teachers and teaching excellence in Santa Barbara County with ‘A Salute to Teachers,’” said County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido. “The educators we will honor at the event are exemplary ambassadors for the teaching profession; we are so proud to recognize these individuals and their contributions to so many students and families countywide.”
“We are thrilled to partner with SBCEO to honor our county’s teachers,” said Kirsten McLaughlin Market Vice President for Cox Communications in Santa Barbara. “The teachers who devote their lives to this profession and to their students make a huge difference in our community. It’s a privilege to recognize those who do so much for young people.”
For more information about the awards and the event, visit sbceo.org/s/2017salute or contact Steven Keithley, SBCEO Director of Teacher Programs and Support, at 964-4710, ext. 5281.
A special televised program featuring teachers honored at “A Salute to Teachers” will be aired following the event on YurViewCA (Cox Communications Channels 4/1004), and video profiles of each honoree will be available online at yurview.com later this fall.