Irvine announces its Teachers of the Year
Feb. 29, 2016 Updated 6:47 p.m.
IRVINE ? Steve Sewell was left in a state of shock not once, but twice Monday.
The first surprise came after he was named the Irvine Unified School District?s Teacher of the Year. The second? How his wife and children kept the impending honor a secret from him since Thursday.
?I was absolutely clueless,? he said. ?How did my family keep this under their hat??
Sewell, an Irvine High social studies teacher, was one of three Irvine Unified educators who discovered Monday morning they had been selected as the district?s 2016 teachers of the year.
A caravan of district administrators and staff traveled school-to-school to make the announcements.
Sewell, who has been teaching within Irvine Unified since 1983, covered his mouth in shock as his name was announced.
?I?m extraordinarily pleased,? he said after receiving a standing ovation from his peers. ?I teach with such an amazing staff, so to be recognized is amazing.?
?The impact of teachers like Steve transcends his own classroom,? said Irvine Unified Superintendent Terry Walker, who spoke at each school of the winning recipients. ?People make a lot of sacrifices to be high-quality teachers.?
Sewell?s son, Logan, knows about that firsthand.
The younger Sewell teaches world history at Northwood High, another Irvine Unified campus. Previously, he was a student teacher at Irvine High.
?Being in the profession, seeing what it takes, seeing his passion and compassion, the early mornings and late nights ... he?s just a great role model,? said Logan Sewell, who turned red with emotion and teared up as the award was announced.
Over at Sierra Vista Middle School, a fire drill brought hundreds of students to the blacktop behind the school to witness Henry Miller, director of instrumental music, be named the district?s middle school Teacher of the Year.
?He?s truly a giver,? Principal Lynn Matassarin said of Miller. ?I call him the Pied Piper.?
As soon as Eamonn O'Donovan, Irvine Unified?s assistant superintendent of human resources, announced the teacher to be recognized taught the school?s biggest classes, students began murmuring, ?Mr. Miller, Mr. Miller.?
Miller, who came to Irvine Unified in 1990, said he joined the district after doing research to find one with a record of supporting music education.
A few years ago, Matassarin said, Miller began taking symphonic orchestra students to elementary special needs classrooms, where they teamed up with students to teach them about their instruments.
Bringing that program, called ?Giving Bach,? to the district is among the ways Miller has had an impact during his 13 years on campus, Matassarin said Monday.
?I?ve never worked with someone as dedicated as he, and I?ve been principal for 22 years,? she said.
Stacie Grooters, a science specialist who works with fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Culverdale Elementary School, was selected as elementary school Teacher of the Year.
?She has only two hours per week with those kids, yet she?s able to make an impression on them,? said Principal Aaron Jetzer, who nominated her for the award. ?She gets to know all of the kids and she is very skilled at integrating technology into the classroom.?
Grooters, who joined the district in 2013, found out she had been selected early Monday.
Her use of technology has enables some shyer or less verbal students, including some who are English language learners, to participate more fully in lessons, Jetzer said.
?It was a great thing for the school, as a whole; they feel recognized,? Jetzer said. ?It?s one person representing the high-quality work going on across the board. To have a teacher at our school be recognized does validate all the hard work they?ve been doing.?
More than 1,500 teachers work at Irvine Unified schools.
In May, Sewell, Miller and Grooters will be honored at an awards banquet organized by the Exchange Club and the Irvine Teachers Association.
They will also represent Irvine in the Orange County Teachers of the Year program. Four finalists from that program will be eligible to compete statewide.
Feb. 29, 2016 Updated 6:47 p.m.
IRVINE ? Steve Sewell was left in a state of shock not once, but twice Monday.
The first surprise came after he was named the Irvine Unified School District?s Teacher of the Year. The second? How his wife and children kept the impending honor a secret from him since Thursday.
?I was absolutely clueless,? he said. ?How did my family keep this under their hat??
Sewell, an Irvine High social studies teacher, was one of three Irvine Unified educators who discovered Monday morning they had been selected as the district?s 2016 teachers of the year.
A caravan of district administrators and staff traveled school-to-school to make the announcements.
Sewell, who has been teaching within Irvine Unified since 1983, covered his mouth in shock as his name was announced.
?I?m extraordinarily pleased,? he said after receiving a standing ovation from his peers. ?I teach with such an amazing staff, so to be recognized is amazing.?
?The impact of teachers like Steve transcends his own classroom,? said Irvine Unified Superintendent Terry Walker, who spoke at each school of the winning recipients. ?People make a lot of sacrifices to be high-quality teachers.?
Sewell?s son, Logan, knows about that firsthand.
The younger Sewell teaches world history at Northwood High, another Irvine Unified campus. Previously, he was a student teacher at Irvine High.
?Being in the profession, seeing what it takes, seeing his passion and compassion, the early mornings and late nights ... he?s just a great role model,? said Logan Sewell, who turned red with emotion and teared up as the award was announced.
Over at Sierra Vista Middle School, a fire drill brought hundreds of students to the blacktop behind the school to witness Henry Miller, director of instrumental music, be named the district?s middle school Teacher of the Year.
?He?s truly a giver,? Principal Lynn Matassarin said of Miller. ?I call him the Pied Piper.?
As soon as Eamonn O'Donovan, Irvine Unified?s assistant superintendent of human resources, announced the teacher to be recognized taught the school?s biggest classes, students began murmuring, ?Mr. Miller, Mr. Miller.?
Miller, who came to Irvine Unified in 1990, said he joined the district after doing research to find one with a record of supporting music education.
A few years ago, Matassarin said, Miller began taking symphonic orchestra students to elementary special needs classrooms, where they teamed up with students to teach them about their instruments.
Bringing that program, called ?Giving Bach,? to the district is among the ways Miller has had an impact during his 13 years on campus, Matassarin said Monday.
?I?ve never worked with someone as dedicated as he, and I?ve been principal for 22 years,? she said.
Stacie Grooters, a science specialist who works with fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Culverdale Elementary School, was selected as elementary school Teacher of the Year.
?She has only two hours per week with those kids, yet she?s able to make an impression on them,? said Principal Aaron Jetzer, who nominated her for the award. ?She gets to know all of the kids and she is very skilled at integrating technology into the classroom.?
Grooters, who joined the district in 2013, found out she had been selected early Monday.
Her use of technology has enables some shyer or less verbal students, including some who are English language learners, to participate more fully in lessons, Jetzer said.
?It was a great thing for the school, as a whole; they feel recognized,? Jetzer said. ?It?s one person representing the high-quality work going on across the board. To have a teacher at our school be recognized does validate all the hard work they?ve been doing.?
More than 1,500 teachers work at Irvine Unified schools.
In May, Sewell, Miller and Grooters will be honored at an awards banquet organized by the Exchange Club and the Irvine Teachers Association.
They will also represent Irvine in the Orange County Teachers of the Year program. Four finalists from that program will be eligible to compete statewide.
