On Friday, April 29 two Riverbank Unified School District (RUSD) Administrators were honored at a special awards ceremony by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) for the Region VII Spring Conference.
There were 20 local educational administrators from all over the region, including Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties that received an engraved award by a committee that selected the winners from a group of candidates nominated by their peers. Collectively, the region serves over 250,000 students and includes about 700 ACSA members.
The Spring Conference was held in South Lake Tahoe from April 29 through May 1.
Karen Young, RUSD director of student services and special education since 2011, was selected as Special Education Administrator of the Year for the region. She was selected for her commitment towards building and maintaining supportive learning environments for all students, including students with special needs and students who are trying to make up credits to earn a high school diploma.
“Over the last five years, under Karen Young’s leadership, the number of suspension incidents in the school system has decreased and fewer students have been recommended for expulsion,” noted Dr. Daryl Camp, RUSD Superintendent. “Karen Young contributes to the education plans of at least 50 students each year who have special needs.
“Also, for a couple of years, Karen Young also served as the principal of Adelante High School, the district’s continuation high school.”
For her part, Young was humbled by the honor.
“It is extremely gratifying to be chosen for this annual award, by my peers,” said Young. “In the administrative role, I’ve lost that daily contact with students, so the most I can do is to support and guide teachers and staff, students and parents. I work with some extremely talented and committed staff, who shares my mantra, ‘provide for student success’.”
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Christine Facella, was selected for one of Region VII’s most prestigious honors, the Distinguished Service Award. Facella was selected for this award due to the number and quality of years she has served in leadership roles in the Stanislaus Charter and Region VII. She served as the president of the Stanislaus Charter for two years and the region’s treasurer for three years. She is also a consistent contributor to planning events, such as, the annual spring conference.
“Facella uses her connections in ACSA to benefit the Riverbank community,” said Camp. “Her involvement keeps her informed of promising practices throughout the region.”
“The award is a tremendous honor for me in that it recognizes the work of all of my colleagues who worked collaboratively with me all through my participation in ACSA especially as President of the Stanislaus Charter from 2013-2015,” stated Facella. “It is also recognition for a body of work in serving students.”
Camp served as the president of Region VII during the 2015-16 school year.
“As the superintendent of Riverbank, seeing members of our team recognized for their outstanding work brings an unimaginable joy,” expressed Camp. “I’m very proud of the outstanding team that we’ve assembled in our school district.
“Our administrators, teachers and support staff are a great group of people that work to support Riverbank’s 2835 students.”
