Gary Thomas, Ed.D. County Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

Honoring County Teachers Of Year

With nearly 20,000 teachers in the San Bernardino County, choosing three to be representative of the outstanding work taking place in our classrooms is difficult. I am proud, however, to introduce the 2008 County Teachers of the Year, who were honored by the County Board of Education at its Oct. 6 meeting.

This year's County Teachers of the Year are:

Zach More, an eighth-grade algebra and Advancement Via Individual Determination teacher at Canyon Middle School in the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District;

Michelle Ratigan, a first-grade teacher at Dona Merced Elementary in the Central School District; and

Jill Schwartz, a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Rancho Cucamonga Middle School in the Cucamonga School District.

The trio were nominated by their individual districts, along with the other nominees, and reviewed by a panel of county administrators who made the final selections. Representing San Bernardino County, More, Ratigan and Schwartz will compete in the California Teacher of the Year event.

Here's a little background about each worthy recipient this year.

More, who has been a teacher in Yucaipa-Calimesa for the past 10 years, has been teaching algebra and an Advancement Via Individual Determination elective at Canyon Middle for the past seven years. More on his teaching philosophy: "I make every effort to show each student that I care about him or her personally beyond just what happens in my classroom." Melissa Moore, assistant superintendent of Human Resources and a former principal at Canyon, said More definitely connects with students. "I can honestly say that there is not a better teacher out there in algebra and AVID. He is simply an exceptional teacher who provides his students with rich instruction."

Ratigan has been a teacher for 15 years and has spent the last 12 years teaching a first-grade class at Merced Elementary. "My teaching is student-centered and students are accountable for their learning and behavior," Ratigan wrote in her nomination about her teaching philosophy. Merced Principal Eileen Galarze said Ratigan's unique approach to reaching the "whole" child has been successful. "Michelle exemplifies the best that teaching has to offer," Galarze wrote in her nomination. "She is a passionate individual who cares about students, families and staff equally and is unwilling to compromise in her pursuit of excellence for all."

Schwartz, who has been a teacher for four years, has been a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Rancho Cucamonga Middle since she started teaching. "Teaching is dynamic and must always remain in a state of growth and change," Schwartz wrote about her teaching philosophy in her nomination. Her principal at Rancho Cucamonga Middle, Bruce LaVallee, said she has become an outstanding educator in a short time. "(Her) dedication is rare in our profession and she embraces it with enthusiasm," LaVallee wrote in his nomination of Schwartz.

The California Teachers of the Year will be announced in November and will be honored at the State Board of Education meeting in January. The State Teachers of the Year will be forwarded to the National Teachers of the Year program.