Arcadia High School graduate Kelly Kovacic was named one of the five outstanding teachers in the entire state of California Thursday.
Kelly Kovacic between parents Barb and Gary.
The daughter of Arcadia City Councilman Gary Kovacic and wife Barb Kovacic, was also named the state’s nominee for the national Teacher of the Year competition.
Read highlights of the official announcement from the California Dept. of Education below…
LA JOLLA — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today named five outstanding teachers as the 2010 California Teachers of the Year.
“Our five California Teachers of the Year are outstanding educators and amazing instructional leaders,” O’Connell said. “Each Teacher of the Year has many stories to tell about overcoming obstacles, achieving goals, and igniting inspiration. I am honored to congratulate each of them, and I hope that their successes will encourage other educators and aspiring teachers who are working hard each day to make a difference in students’ lives.”
Kelly Kovacic accepts award as one of five California Teachers of the Year
Kelly Kovacic teaches Social Studies in eleventh and twelfth grades at The Preuss School, an intensive college preparatory school for low-income student populations that is located on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus in La Jolla (San Diego Unified School District). She also was selected as California’s nominee for the prestigious National Teacher of the Year competition.
“I am extremely proud of all teachers, here in California as well as across the nation, who in the past year, have had to endure devastating cutbacks in funding and programs as well as layoff notices and elimination of positions,” O’Connell added. “It is more important than ever to honor people who chose to become teachers and to celebrate this most noble of professions.”
O’Connell chose Kovacic to represent California in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
“I am delighted that Kelly Kovacic is representing California at the national level,” he said. “Ms. Kovacic is an exceptionally knowledgeable and effective teacher. She demonstrates an unparalleled passion and commitment to her students and school community that extends beyond the school day and the school yard.”
The National Teacher of the Year winner will be selected in the spring of 2010 by a panel convened by the Council of Chief State School Officers. All candidates in the program will be honored at a White House ceremony.
Ms. Kovacic has been a teacher for seven years, all of which have been spent at The Preuss School, a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students.
“All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college,” Ms. Kovacic wrote. “I treat my students as future leaders, because they are. “As a teacher, I have been blessed with a huge responsibility, one that I eagerly embrace. I must create an environment in which my students realize the vast extent of their abilities and that, with hard work and dedication, they can accomplish great things. My students also need to know that there are people along the way, teachers like me, who are ready and willing to help.”
Ms. Kovacic graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from Stanford University, where she also received a California Professional Clear Credential.
At The Preuss School, she is the chair of the Social Studies Department. In June 2008, she was selected by the College Board to help read and grade the Advanced Placement United States History Exam. Ms. Kovacic is a 2010 San Diego Unified School District Teacher of the Year.
The California Teachers of the Year program began in 1972 to pay tribute to the state’s educators, the growing complexity of challenges that confront California’s schools, and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to meet those challenges. The program is also designed to help draw new people into the teaching field.
Each year, the State Superintendent selects five Teachers of the Year who best represent California’s teachers and symbolize the profession’s contributions to quality education by focusing public attention on their noteworthy accomplishments. The competition is open to educators who teach pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners of their regional Teacher of the Year competition.
A state selection committee reviews the candidates’ applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers’ rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, use of teaching methods, among other criteria. Following interviews held in Sacramento, the State Superintendent then selects the awardees.
The 2010 California Teachers of the Year will be honored at a dinner January 25, 2010 in Sacramento made possible by donations from corporate sponsors. Seven semi-finalists also will be honored.
The other four 2010 California Teachers of Year:
* Amber Carrow who teaches World History at Chemawa Middle School in Riverside (Riverside Unified School District).
* Kathy R. Marvin who teaches Physical Science at Sierra Vista Middle School in Irvine (Irvine Unified School District).
* Melanie Tolan who teaches English-language arts, History, and Physical Education at the Sarah Anthony School in San Diego (Juvenile Court and Community Schools – San Diego County Office of Education).
* Valerie Ziegler who teaches U.S. History, Economics, and Advanced Placement U.S. Government at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco (San Francisco Unified School District).