The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) is excited to announce that Lincoln Unified School District (LUSD) teacher Catherine Ettle has been named the 2018 San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year. The surprise announcement was the culminating moment at the Eighth Annual San Joaquin County Classified Employee and Teacher of the Year Awards Celebration Dinner held at the SJCOE on Thursday, June 7.
As San Joaquin Teacher of the Year, Ettle received $1,000 from Premier Community Credit Union, a longtime supporter of educators in San Joaquin County and co-sponsor of the event. Ettle’s nomination will now be submitted to the state for consideration as California Teacher of the Year.
Ettle, a 21-year teaching veteran, is LUSD’s lead music program teacher and the Sierra Middle School and Lincoln High School band teacher. Ettle was nominated by LUSD Superintendent Tom Uslan for her success creating one of the premier music programs in the country.
Four other outstanding teachers were recognized as San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year finalists. Each received $400 from Premier Community Credit Union. They are:
· Kristin Olson, Mountain House High School, Lammersville Unified School District
· Charles Spikes, Jefferson School, Jefferson Elementary School District
· Shirley Steigenga, Park View Elementary School, Ripon Unified School District
· Melissa Turner, Lodi High School, Lodi Unified School District
Also recognized at the awards dinner were the six San Joaquin County Classified Employees of the year in six different categories. They are:
· Carrie Jones, Child Nutrition, Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District
· Lisa Eisenga, Maintenance, Operations, and Facilities, Monticello Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School District
· Heather Kooreman, Office and Technical, Sebastian Questa Elementary School, Lammersville Unified School District
· Opal Burt, Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance, New Jerusalem Elementary School, New Jerusalem Elementary School District
· Craig Schwarz, Support Services and Security, School for Adults, Stockton Unified School District
· Becky Duncan, Transportation, Jefferson Elementary School District