Judge Trina Thompson, Alameda County Superior Court Judge, will emcee the Alameda County Teacher of the Year Awards ceremony. She will be joined by Pleasanton’s Foothill High School award-winning advanced choir to honor the county’s top teachers.  The event will recognize sixteen Alameda County school district teachers and three Regional Occupational Program (ROP) teachers for their excellence in education. The ceremony takes place on October 6, 2011 at the Arts Education Center at San Leandro High School from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. To register please call (510) 670-7754 or go to the online registration page: http://conta.cc/ACOE_TOY2011.

This is the 22nd year that the Alameda County Office of Education recognizes and celebrates teachers throughout Alameda County for their excellence in classroom instruction.  The honor and significance of the award will be throughout the 2011/2012 school year.  In honor of their hard work and commitment to education, we dedicate this year's Teacher of the Year ceremony to "Celebrating Real Life Heroes".  

The Teachers of the Year are available for interviews, please contact their schools directly or please call ACOE’s communications office at 510-670-7754 to facilitate the information.

The sixteen districts and three Regional Occupational Programs that submitted their “2011 Teacher of the Year” are (in order by district):

• Alameda COE:         Aixa Caraballo, Burke Center
• Alameda USD:         Elizabeth Young, Washington Elementary School
• Berkeley USD (team teachers): Hillary Mitchell and Kimberly Burton, Washington Elementary School
• Castro Valley USD:  Tina Johansson, Creekside Middle School
• Dublin USD:            Jan Cohen, Wells Middle School
• Emery USD:            Tarsha Jordan, Anna Yates Elementary School
• Fremont USD:         Lewis Kilcrease, Walters Junior High School
• Hayward USD:         Diane Shepherd, Bowman Elementary School
• Livermore VJ USD:   Linda Stevens, Rancho Las PositasElementary School
• New Haven USD:     Tom Collett, Newark Junior High School
• Newark USD:           Julie Panebianco, James Logan High School
• Oakland USD:          Lissette Averhoff, ACORN Woodland Elementary School
• Oakland USD:          Lisa Hiltbrand, Urban Promise Academy
• Pleasanton USD:      JoAnn Koobatian, Foothill High School
• San Leandro USD:    Heather DiMaggio, James Madison Elementary School
• San LorenzoUSD:     Glenna Wurm-Hayenga, San Lorenzo High School
• Sunol USD:              Suzette Takei, Sunol Glen School
• Fremont| Mission Valley ROP:  Mari Moschetti, Kennedy High School 
• Pleasanton| Tri-Valley ROP:      Karen McMahon, Horizon Continuation High School
• San Leandro| Eden Area ROP:   Christina Charlton, Arroyo High School
 

About Judge Trina Thompson
Judge Trina Thompson was elected as Alameda County Superior Court Judge in 2002, the first African-American woman judge elected in Alameda County. Judge Thompson currently handles felony trials and truancy. A graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, she was a 2007 co-chair of the East Bay Diversity Bar Coalition and instrumental in the creation of the ACBA Judicial Mentoring Project.  Judge Thompson, in her most recent nomination to an administrative post by President Obama, is a member of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
 

About ACOE
The Alameda County Office of Education has fiscal oversight of all eighteen Alameda County public school districts.  ACOE provides over 500 programs and services to district offices in all aspects of school operations including professional development and credentialing services for educators. The agency fosters student achievement and development through leadership, innovation, and accountability in partnership with the public, educational community, and parents.