Top school employees celebrated at Yin Ranch
A Vallejo City Unified teacher and a Solano County Office of Education employee were named top educator and top schoolsupport employee for 2022 during SCOE's annual Educator of the Year Awards celebration.
Held Tuesday at the Yin Ranch in rural Vacaville, the event honored the top classified employees and teachers and other credentialed staff of the year from Vacaville, Vallejo City, Dixon, Travis, Benicia and Fairfield-Suisun unified school districts and SCOE, sometimes referred to as “county schools.”
At celebration's end, a blue-ribbon committee of past honorees named Jeanette Starring, a thirdgrade teacher in Vallejo City Unified, and Dave Candelo, a facilities and maintenance coordinator for SCOE, as top educator and classified employee, respectively.
By district, the other top educators named were Therese Shook of Vacaville Unified; Samantha Camblin of Dixon Unified; Bonnie Ramirez of Benicia Unified; Chris Romo of Fairfield-Suisun Unified; Christine Velamar of the Solano County Office of Education; and Kimberly Hopfer of Travis Unified.
By district, the other classified or school-support employees named were Terry Dunkelburger of Vacaville Unified; Arturo Hernandez of Dixon Unified; Rafaela Alvarez of Vallejo City Unified; Peter Sharpe of Benicia Unified; and Kimberly Koelzer of Travis Unified.
In a press release, a spokeswoman for SCOE, Jennifer Leonard, said Starring, a teacher at Dan Mini Elementary, where she teaches multiple subjects, has been teaching for 30 years, 10 in her current job.
At her introduction at the event, Starring, according to Leonard, was said to provide ongoing support “not only to her students, but also their families,” and that “is what stands out.”
“She utilizes all resources and continues to encourage attendance, engagement, and positive self-worth,” Leonard said. “She provides individualized intervention support and incentives for her students that continue to build a positive relationship between home and school.
“It is evident that she understands the importance of addressing the social emotional needs of our students in addition to their academic needs. She creates a balance between the two that does not diminish one or the other.”
At his introduction, a speaker said Candelo's “passion for students is really what drives his quality of work in everything he does. He is considerate of the impact on students and staff when going about any work he does.
“Dave serves all Solano County Office of Education schools and his professionalism and happy demeanor have everyone wanting Dave to be part of their school culture, and he is a big part of SCOE's culture.
“Dave's workmanship and overall desire to help others has earned him the respect of SCOE employees throughout the organization. Dave is a model employee that exemplifies SCOE's guiding principles: collaborate successfully; support each other; and demonstrate leadership.”
Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson said, “Our Solano County educators are truly amazing. This celebration is certainly one of the most inspiring recognitions we conduct throughout the year.”
In the press statement, Leonard said all awardees were honored with the traditional Educators of the Year apple award, gifts made by the construction trades class students at Golden Hills Community School, and certificates of achievement from SCOE and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano.
Additionally, students from the Solano Youth Coalition shared “their perspectives on the powerful and positive impact that school employees can have for students,” Leonard added.