REGION — More than a dozen teachers from coastal to inland North San Diego County are nominees for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year award.
Since 1974, the San Diego County Office of Education has recognized teachers from across the region for making an impact in the classroom and demonstrating their commitment to education. Every year, teachers from each of the county’s 42 school districts are invited to apply for San Diego County Teacher of the Year.
For the past 32 years, the county has partnered with Cox Communications to recognize nominees at the annual Cox Presents: Salute to Teachers, sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union. The event highlighting the county’s more than 24,000 public school teachers is scheduled for Aug. 25 and will reveal the next county Teacher of the Year.
Xye Sanders from Cesar Chavez Middle School in Oceanside, who was named 2022 County Teacher of the Year, will co-host this year’s Salute to Teachers event.
School administrators and staff nominate teachers, who then apply for the award.
Oceanside Unified has named Felicia Ayala from Foussat Elementary and Debbie Dickson from North Terrace Elementary as the district’s top teachers, who are now eligible for the 2024 County Teacher of the Year title.
Ayala, who has been with the district for 27 years, teaches fourth grade and leads an afterschool steel drum music program for interested students.
Her music program began when she first heard the sound of steel drums on campus in 2014. She followed the sound and found students and Kainga Music group members making the music, then invited them to perform in a talent show she was organizing. When she saw how the students became “little rockstars” while performing, she was amazed.
Ayala later started taking music lessons of her own and now runs the after-school steel drum program. She also occasionally brings her ukulele to class for students.
Ayala has noticed how many of her students completely transform when they perform the music.
“A lot of kids who come to play don’t always receive positive attention in the classroom,” she said. “They have more energy than others and just need an outlet, so they come to me and play drums, and what’s really cool is that they learn how to be part of a community where what they do really affects the whole group, so they make sure they’re playing the right notes and learn to help one another.”
Ayala has also noticed how much self-confidence her music program has given students who were once shy and afraid to participate.
“They become little rockstars on stage,” she said.
Another teacher of the year nominee is Danielle Dorsey, who has been with the San Marcos Unified School District for 31 years and has taught seventh grade world history at San Marcos Middle School since 1993.
With a master’s degree in European history combined with her years of experience as a teacher, Dorsey brings history to life in the classroom.
“We dress up, we write songs, and we do other sorts of activities, and we have a YouTube channel for kids to use to study for their tests,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey likes to make her lessons fun but also challenging for her students, providing rigorous reading and discussions that are meant to help them develop the future information-gathering skills they will need as adults.
“I want them to be incredible speakers, writers and communicators,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey also teaches English language learners and leads a social-emotional wellness course for students, staff, and soon, parents.
Other nominated North County teachers include Lauren Kennington from Bonsall Elementary in the Bonsall Unified School District, Melanie Lupica from Magnolia Elementary in the Carlsbad Unified School District, Cinzia Fisher from Ocean Air School in the Del Mar Union School District, Kirsten Goyette from Flora Vista Elementary in the Encinitas Union School District, Courtney Coffin from Orange Glen High School in the Escondido Union High School District, Carrie McGibney from Rincon Middle School and Wendy Threatt from Felicita Elementary in the Escondido Union School District, Emily Avila from Maie Ellis Elementary in the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District, Heather Johnson of the San Pasqual Union School District and Kimberly Williams, who teaches at Valley Center Elementary and Valley Center High School in the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District.
