The Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) is proud to recognize its teachers' outstanding achievements and contributions through the District Teacher of the Year recognition program. This year, 27 schools submitted nominations, highlighting our educators' innovation, creativity, and success.
The site nominees were evaluated in various areas that encompass the essential qualities of an exemplary educator, including engaging and supporting all students in learning, creating effective learning environments, understanding the subject matter, planning instruction, assessing students, professional development, communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and attitude. CVESD is honored to announce the following nominees for the District Site Teachers of the Year:
- Gloria Davies - Ella B. Allen: Gloria Davies began teaching for the District in 1984 and has enjoyed every minute. She feels blessed to have worked at different schools with wonderful principals, and incredible teachers, many of whom have become her dearest friends. Eight years ago, she began working for San Diego State University. It is a joy for her to bring these new student teachers into teaching and become some of our District's best teachers.
- Claudine Alcantara - Arroyo Vista Charter: Claudine has been employed by the District since 2012, teaching in the Philippines for ten years. She was an instructional assistant for the Arroyo Vista SPED team while obtaining her special education credential. Since 2018, she has been an RSP teacher and has demonstrated her value as a team member. She is known for her exceptional collaboration with teachers, compassion towards students, and positive attitude. Her unwavering support for teachers and students has made a significant impact.
- Shannon Cleator - Enrique S. Camarena: A San Diego State University graduate, Shannon Cleator began teaching General Education at Allen Elementary School in Fall of 1999. Over the next 13 years at Allen, she taught Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade. During those years, she returned to SDSU, earning her Master’s Degree in Curriculum/Instruction, married her husband Tim, had their boys Matthew and Ryan, and earned her Mild/Moderate Special Education Credential from Point Loma Nazarene. In January 2014, she began working at Salt Creek as the RSP teacher and is currently at Camarena Elementary School as the primary RSP teacher.
- Melissa Stephens - Joseph Casillas: Melissa Stephens has been teaching in the District since 2003 and has been fortunate enough to spend most of that time at Casillas Elementary. She has primarily taught 5th grade there, and her children attended the school. When not teaching, she enjoys reading, going to the beach, and traveling with her husband and two kids, Grady and Kendall. Her favorite part of teaching is the relationships she develops with her students.
- Christina May - Clear View: Christina May, is a third grade teacher at Clear View Elementary School. She received her BA and Master's degree from SDSU. She is a San Diego native and enjoys the water. She teaches, models, listens, and builds relationships in her classroom and around campus to help students reach their goals and feel valued. In her 19 years of service at Clear View, she has worked with students in the classroom grades 1-5, in clubs, Peace Patrol, Safety Patrol, and on the basketball court, coaching Girls’ Basketball. She has enjoyed participating and working collaboratively on ILT and other Leadership Teams and looks forward to many more years of educating our future leaders.
- Diane Trailer - Hazel Goes Cook: Diane Trailer has been fortunate to work with amazing teachers in the District since 1991. During these years, she has mostly worked in the upper grades, specifically with sixth graders. The students motivate her every day to be her best, and as each day ends, she reflects on what she has learned to continue to strive to do her best.
- Crystal Orozco - Los Altos: Mrs. Orozco is a graduate of UC San Diego with nine years of teaching experience. She taught 4th grade at EJE Academies in El Cajon for five years, one year in 5th and one year in 3rd at Cook Elementary, and two years in 4th at Los Altos Elementary. Mrs. Orozco is passionate about bilingual education and making the program accessible to all students. This passion comes from her experience of not having the opportunity to develop her first language at an English-only school. She had to relearn how to communicate in Spanish later in life but used that experience to support her students in their language development in both English and Spanish.
- Andrea Galang - Corky McMillin: Andrea Galang has been a teacher at McMillin Elementary for all eight years of her teaching career. This year, Galang teaches second grade, hosts McMillin's annual Beyond Awareness event, and leads the school's Broadcast Club.
- Lynnete Pahio Gonzalez – Otay: As a sixth grade teacher at Otay Elementary, she has been allowed to promote positive educational growth, personalize expectations for student success, and encourage a mindset that pursues self-improvement. She believes authentic learning requires a challenging and holistic approach to develop successful habits that help students believe in themselves. In addition, she is genuinely invested in celebrating the excitement of individual accomplishments while encouraging each student to help one another thrive and share success collectively.
- Kelly Demro – Parkview: Kelly Demro is a sixth grade teacher at Parkview Elementary with 15 years of teaching experience. She has also been a literacy coach and worked at several other District schools. She is dedicated to helping students become critical thinkers and is a Master Teacher for Colonial Williamsburg, where she integrates literacy and history. She graduated from UC San Diego, loves traveling, and lives in San Diego with her husband.
- Lindsay Aldo - Lilian J. Rice: Lindsay Aldo has been an educator at the District for 15 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and her teaching credential from the University of San Diego. This past year, she completed her master’s in education leadership and administrative services credential from San Diego State University. For the past ten years, Lindsay has been teaching at Rice Elementary. As a current ILT, STEAM Committee, and SSC member, she is committed to leadership, learning, and student-centered decision-making. In her own classroom, her passion is fostering a love for mathematics in students and building their self-esteem.
- Aaron Tumamao – EastLake: Aaron Tumamao is in his seventh year working at the District. He is a third grade Dual Immersion English teacher at EastLake Elementary School. He is also one of the Peace Patrol advisers. He received is undergraduate degree, teaching credentials, and Master's degree from UC San Diego, and he is originally from Cerritos, CA, in Los Angeles County.
- Melissa Showman - Myrtle S. Finney: Melissa Showman, a third grade teacher at Finney Elementary, prioritizes empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. With degrees in Visual Arts and Theatre, she pursued a Multiple Subject Credential and a Master's in Reading Education at San Diego State University. She fosters a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment, supervises Peace Patrol, and introduces innovative opportunities to students, including the Great Kindness Challenge, Family Science Night, and ukulele instruction. She has also mentored and coached first robotics teams and served on Finney's Social Justice Committee. She believes in building meaningful relationships to support all learners.
- Kimberly Peverley – Harborside: Kimberly Peverley is a first grade teacher at Harborside Elementary. She has been teaching for six years, five of them as a teacher in CVESD. She graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, and a Master in Teaching Literacy. For as long as she can remember, educators have inspired her, and she knows that teaching is her calling. Building relationships with her students is at the forefront of my teaching philosophy. She can create a classroom community filled with high expectations, independent thinkers, and kind humans with those relationships. Her favorite content area is language arts; she especially loves teaching her students how to read. When she is not teaching she loves spending time with her husband and baby boy, eating ramen, reading with her book club, and going to the zoo.
- Wesley Garcia - Innovation Academy: Wesley Garcia has nearly three decades of experience in education, teaching at both the high school and elementary levels. He has degrees from Loma Linda University and San Diego State University. Currently teaching sixth grade at the Innovation Academy, he focuses on implementing Project-Based Learning to develop students' creativity and critical thinking skills. He has also been an instructional coach and Teacher on Special Assignments at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.
- Cassandra Vieira - Juarez-Lincoln: Cassandra Vierira has been a District teacher for seven years. She is a second grade teacher and enjoys working with such an amazing, supportive staff at Juarez-Lincoln Elementary. She is honored to have the opportunity to represent her site for Teacher of the Year! She is grateful to be able to live her dream of shaping young minds and molding the hearts of our future generations. Her top priority is providing an equitable, positive learning environment to help her students succeed. The passion, empathy, and patience she brings into her classroom help her students develop a lifelong love of learning as they shine bright in all they do!
- Melissa Maull - Karl H. Kellogg: Melissa Maull teaches third grade at Kellogg Elementary, where she started her teaching career in 2014 as a first-grade teacher. She had previously worked as a substitute instructional assistant at Kellogg and felt honored to be a part of the community for nine years. Melissa loves seeing her students grow and often receives visits from former students who have moved on to middle school. She values the loving staff at Kellogg and enjoys being a teacher at CVESD.
- Antonio Valladolid - J. Calvin Lauderbach: Antonio Valladolid is a first-generation U.S.-born college graduate who has been a teacher for CVESD for 25 years. He teaches using the Socratic Seminar Model and offers early morning tutoring before school. He also sponsors a recess soccer league to promote sports involvement and teach sportsmanship, as well as an i-CARE club focused on community, academics, recycling, and the environment.
- Brenda Aguilera – Liberty: Brenda Bernachi-Aguilera is a Dual Language Immersion teacher at CVESD. She currently teaches First Grade Dual Immersion at Liberty Elementary. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Spanish from San Diego State University and her Master’s in Education and Dual Language Certificate. She enjoys fostering a positive learning environment where all her students can reach bilingualism while following the vision of CVESD’s Dual Language Pillars: Biliteracy, High Academic Achievement, and Socio-Cultural Competence.
- Anika Ito - Fred H. Rohr: While attending the University of San Diego Master’s and Credential Program focusing on special education, Ito began working as a Resource Specialist at Rohr Elementary. During her eight years at Rohr Elementary, she has dedicated her career to fostering an inclusive community that uplifts students with diverse needs. In collaboration with their school ILT, the MTSS/SST committees, the PTA, and staff, she has worked to help create a welcoming environment where students look forward to coming to school. One of her greatest rewards of being a teacher at Rohr is watching the persistence exhibited by her students as they continue to work towards achieving their academic goals.
- Michelle Williams – Rosebank: Michelle Williams teaches 6th grade at Rosebank. She has taught for 23 years and has been in CVESD for 18 years. She loves spending time with her family and granddaughter. She enjoys traveling and reading in her free time.
- Kimberly Hale - Salt Creek: Kimberly Hale is in her 19th year of teaching at Salt Creek, and she’s been there since the school opened, teaching both 2nd and 5th grades. She is passionate about helping all learners and making learning fun. She is an active school community member, participating in the PBIS Team, and attending school events. She has been an Induction Mentor for over a decade, and enjoys supporting beginning teachers as they grow in their teaching practice. Her favorite subject is math, and her favorite books are Because of Winn Dixie, and Anything by Kevin Henkes. She is a wife and mom of two girls, and enjoys swimming, going to the beach, and spending time with family. She is honored to represent Salt Creek as Teacher of the Year.
- Maria Coss - Silver Wing: Maria Coss is a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Wing Elementary. She was born and raised in San Diego. She has a bachelor's and master's degree in curriculum and instruction from San Diego State University. She is in her 16 years of teaching experience. She taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Her favorite subjects are math and writing. She loves to see how students become critical thinkers and problem solvers and use their creativity and voice in writing. She knew teaching was my calling the first time she volunteered at an elementary school in high school. Since then, my passion for teaching has been growing, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
- Deborah Botterman - Burton C. Tiffany: As a child, Deborah Botterman loved school, so when she was set to choose her career path, she knew it had to do with children. She was so lucky to grow up in Chula Vista attending Kellogg and Rosebank Schools, which made the choice of becoming a teacher crystal clear. And so, her career began 38 years ago, right here in Chula Vista. The memories she has made with great colleagues, students, and parents have made such an indelible mark.
- Ildara Armenta - Valle Lindo: Ildara Armenta was born in Chula Vista and graduated and received her bilingual teaching credential from San Diego State University. This is her fifth year teaching at Valle Lindo Elementary. She taught kindergarten, and is teaching first grade DI this year. She is grateful to work with such an amazing staff and with wonderful students!
- Erin Marmion - Wolf Canyon: Erin Marmion has taught at CVESD for 20 years. She has been at her site, Wolf Canyon, for 11 years and has had the privilege to departmentalize with her 5th grade team, focusing on English Language Arts and Social Studies. Literacy is her passion. She obtained her master's in education with a specialization in reading several years ago.
- Kristalyn Gonzalez - Greg Rogers: Kristalyn Gonzalez is a school psychologist at Greg Rogers Elementary School. She is passionate about school psychologists working as change agents and advocates for educational equity and positive school outcomes. It is an honor for her to be recognized alongside her teacher colleagues as they continue providing safe learning environments for students.
These exceptional teachers demonstrate excellence in their teaching and are dedicated to supporting their students’ learning and growth. "We are incredibly proud of our District Site Teacher of the Year nominees," said Superintendent Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D. "Their unwavering commitment to excellence in education is commendable, and they serve as outstanding role models for their colleagues and students."