The Modesto Rotary Club and the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) will honor the 12 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year Finalists and announce the selection of four teachers as the 2025 Stanislaus County Teachers of the Year at a Rotary luncheon on May 6. The four selected as Teachers of the Year will each receive a $1,000 cash award from the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation. Mocse Credit Union also sponsors the event and provides funding for the awards and decorations.
Among the final candidates are two Riverbank Unified School District teachers.
In the Elementary category, TK through third grade, Alicia Vigil of the Riverbank Language Academy is in the final round. Making the final round in the Elementary category, fourth through sixth grade, is Lisa Napoli of Mesa Verde Elementary.
Teachers were nominated by their principals and finalists were selected from 85 nominees representing 13 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.
Other districts represented by teachers in the final round include Turlock Unified, Sylvan Union, Empire Union, Modesto City Schools, Ceres Unified, and Hughson Unified.
The Jane Johnston Civility Award will also be presented in honor of former SCOE Assistant Superintendent Jane Johnston, who helped launch the countywide 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 Education Foundation will honor her memory by presenting a $1,000 check and a Jane Johnston Civility Award to one of the 12 finalists who best exemplifies the principles of civility.
This is the 26th 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 it 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.
“It is incredibly rewarding to partner with Modesto Rotary in celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Stanislaus County’s educators,” said County Superintendent of Schools Scott Kuykendall. “The teachers we honor prepare, encourage, and inspire students to reach their full potential. Their daily pursuit of excellence raises the standard of education across our community.”
Sponsors of the Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year program include the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation, Stanislaus County Office of Education, and Mocse Credit Union.
