7 chosen to receive top educator award
Winners will be saluted at a May luncheon in downtown Riverside
Seven school employees recently got surprises on campus.
They learned they are among this year’s Riverside County Educators of the Year.
Winners are chosen from more than 36,000 educational employees in the county, a Riverside County Office of Education news release states. County Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez surprised each one to present the awards.
The Educators of the Year will be honored at the Celebrating Educators Luncheon at the Riverside Convention Center on May 2, alongside the county’s four Teachers of the Year, who were announced previously.
The teachers are Anthony Gomez, a dual language immersion history teacher at Jurupa Middle School; Heather Hanlon, a dance teacher at Dorothy McElhinney Middle School in Murrieta; Autumn Lundblad, a first-grade teacher at Sundance Elementary School in Beaumont; and Beth Schwandt, a music teacher at Lake Hills Elementary School Beaumont.
The 2023 Educators of the Year are:
Michelle `Daphne' Donoho — Principal of the Year
Michelle “Daphne” Donoho, principal of Táawila Elementary School in the Menifee Union School District, has been a principal for nearly 20 years and has led the school since it opened in 2018.
“With over 515 schools in Riverside County, out of all those principals, we have only one that has been selected as the Principal of the Year. And, guess who that is?” Gomez asked the students, who responded by shouting Donoho’s name, the news release states.
Donoho then addressed the staff and students.
“Only because of all of you — that is why this is happening today,” she said.
Hilda JaureguiCastanon — School Counselor of the Year
Hilda Jauregui-JaureguiCastanon has been a school counselor for 15 years, including eight years at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, which is part of the Corona-Norco Unified School District.
She said in the release
that she was “honored and humbled” by the award.
Jauregui-Castanon is involved in the Puente Program, which helps underrepresented students graduate from high school and apply to college.
“This year, Hilda’s goals were about catching students early on, to find out what they need, and to be there for them until they feel like they’ve got it,” Gomez said in a news release.
Aprylle Larson — Confidential Employee of the Year
For three years, Larson has been the executive assistant to the assistant superintendent of instruction and support services for the Beaumont Unified School District. She also helps coordinate student activities and leads trainings for colleagues each month.
Larson said she was “just about speechless” after being presented the award at a meeting, a news release states.
“On the daily, I rely on all of you as much as you rely on me,” she said, according to the release. “I’m really proud to be here — to work in a wonderful environment that is student centered and student focused.”
Craig Petinak — Classified Administrator of the Year
Craig Petinak has been director of public relations and communication services for the Riverside County Office of Education since 2013, and has built an award-winning communications team.
“I have had the honor of participating in hundreds of these presentations to my colleagues, and it is truly humbling to be on the receiving end of this special recognition,” Petinak
said after receiving the award, according to the release. “Thank you to everyone for trusting us with telling your stories.”
Gomez, said Petinak’s passion “shines” in his work.
“He truly cares about the students in Riverside County,” the superintendent said in the release.
Dwight Taylor — Site Support Employee of the Year
Dwight Taylor, a district lead officer-campus (security officer) for the Moreno Valley Unified School District, was previously named Riverside County’s Classified Employee of the Year in 2017.
Taylor helps keep schools safe using an approach that involves advocacy, de-escalation and collaboration, a news release states. Taylor is also a Freedom Writer teacher and the second vice president for Moreno Valley’s chapter of the California School Employees Association.
“For all those we serve in this district, we know what they face, and I try to be somebody who does something,” Taylor said after receiving the award, according to the release.
Cassandra Willis — Certificated Administrator of the Year
Willis, who leads the Parent Center for CoronaNorco Unified School District as its director of student and family support services, connects families with resources to help students succeed and stay on track to graduate.
“Not only does her team offer supports,” Gomez said as he presented the award, according to the release, “but, more importantly, they teach families how to advocate for themselves, and provide them with tools that will help them gain their long-term independence.”
Willis is entering her 30th year in education, and said in the release that she has the “best job in the district.”
Jeanine Wingfield — Classified Employee of the Year
Wingfield is the district security officer II for the Perris-based Val Verde Unified School District.
Outside her duties as a district security officer, Wingfield seeks to connect with students and build positive relationships with them, the release states. She regularly helps pay for expenses like prom tickets and caps and gowns for students who otherwise might not be able to afford them, and serves on the Culture and Climate Committee.
“Thank you for allowing me to serve our community in this way,” Wingfield said after being surprised with the award, the news release states. “This job is the highest position we can have — to build a relationship with the community and the campus so that parents trust us with their students.”
“I put in what I hope other people have put in for my kids,” she said in the release.