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Cardozo Educator Selected As 2017 Finalist Candidate
Teacher Of Year
Stan Co Office of Ed.png

The Modesto Rotary Club and the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) will honor the 2017 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year Finalists and announce the selection of four as 2017 Stanislaus County Teachers of the Year at a Rotary luncheon on May 2 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto at noon.

A Riverbank educator is among the finalists.

The four selected as Teachers of the Year will each receive a $1,000 cash award from the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation and a $700 Nasco gift card. Mocse Credit Union also sponsors the event and provides funding for the awards, decorations and lunch for the student entertainers. At the Middle School Level, teacher Dave Howard with Cardozo Middle School has been nominated for Teacher of the Year for Riverbank Unified School District.

Teachers were nominated by their principals and finalists were selected from 83 nominees representing 16 school districts in Stanislaus County. A selection committee, composed of local Rotarians and educators, narrowed the nominations through a paper screening process and then visited the classrooms of 24 semi-finalists before narrowing it down to the 12 finalists.

Again this year, a Civility Award will be presented in honor of former SCOE Assistant Superintendent Jane Johnston, who helped launch the county-wide Choose Civility Initiative in 2010 and passed away unexpectedly in April 2012. Johnston was a member of the Modesto Rotary, co-chaired the Teacher of the Year Program, and was active with the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County.

The Jane Johnston Civility Award will be presented to one of the 12 finalists who best exemplifies the principles of civility. The winner of this award will also receive $1,000.

This is the 19th year that Modesto Rotary and SCOE have joined efforts to honor teachers in Stanislaus County. The program not only honors local teachers and celebrates excellence in education, but also provides an opportunity for teachers to receive state and national recognition. Two of the four Teachers of the Year will be selected, through an interview process, to represent Stanislaus County in the State Teacher of the Year Program. One state winner then proceeds to the national level.

“A good teacher inspires students, ignites imaginations, and instills a love of learning,” said County Superintendent of Schools Tom Changnon. “It is truly an honor to partner with the Rotary to recognize these outstanding teachers – each who helps inspire and shape the lives of young students in our county on a daily basis.”

Sponsors of the Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year program include the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation, Stanislaus County Office of Education, Nasco and Mocse Credit Union.