AWARDS AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS
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AREA XVII EARLY CAREER EDUCATOR AWARD RECIPIENTS
2021
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Area XVII recognized three Early Career Educators, teachers in their first to third year of teaching, who are doing an outstanding job in education. Each recipient will receive a certificate and a check from Area XVII funds and be recognized by the nominating chapter. Congratulations to these fine young educators
Alexis Duran has done an outstanding job of creating a warm welcoming classroom environment for kindergarteners during hybrid learning. Her lessons are engaging as she presents them to both students in their classroom seats and those at home behind their laptops in a manner that shows she cares and has high expectations for learning. She has helped create lessons using technology that capture students' interests. She presents lessons that provide for the foundational skills, works with small groups for extra support, and has made individual kits of materials to comply with Covid standards. She is a natural teacher and regarded highly by the staff at Sipherd Elementary. Alexa was nominated by Eta Mu.
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Ashley Estaque is in her first year of teaching Art at Riverbank High School. She really loves the support and comradery from her fellow teachers being a first year teacher. She is a real go-getter and wants to redo the curriculum!! Before becoming a teacher, she was a Park Ranger in Yellowstone National Park and also worked for a nationwide and then a statewide nonprofit organization where she created educational programming for children and adults. Her favorite color is orange because its bright and vibrant and loves eating her favorite food of fried chicken!!! She was born in South Carolina and has two children. Ashley was nominated by Epsilon Nu.
Hanna Kasik, English teacher, has done an absolutely outstanding job transitioning to distance learning. Throughout Distance Learning, Hanna created meaningful lesson that helped to keep students engaged. Additionally, she has gone above and beyond to help her students who have IEPs: making sure they have all the necessary accommodations, reaching out to student and families, and working closely with the students' case carriers. Overall, Hanna has done a fabulous job during the 2020-2021 school year! Hanna was nominated by Zeta Rho.
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2020 Area XVII Early Career Educator Award
Each year Area XVII Awards Early Career Educators with a check funded by the Area Raffle. This year Eta Mu nominated ShiAnn Anderson who was recommended by Marla Rucobo. ShiAnn is a first year math teacher at Hanshaw Middle School in Modesto. She is an Enoch's High School graduate who graduated from Stanislaus State with a degree in math and a California Teaching Credential in May 2019. ShiAnn immediately become involved in more that just her classroom with her first teaching assignment. She does after-school tutoring, is a member of the AVID site team, and is always willing to go the extra mile for her students. She is a deserving recipient of this award.
SCHOLARSHIPS and GRANTS-IN-AID
ETA MU AWARDS A GRANT-IN AID TO MJC STUDENT BRITTANY ROSS
Brittany Ross was the recipient of the 2017-2018 Grant-in-Aid provided by Eta Mu Chapter to a student at Modesto Junior College who is preparing to be a teacher. Brittany has a double major in English and Liberal Studies with a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.94. She was reared in Orange County and was inspired to study English by her high school sophomore English instructor. This teacher taught her critical thinking skills and how to understand the underlying meaning behind content. When Brittany was a senior in high school, she got a job at Disneyland where she worked for seven years. There she enjoyed Interacting with children and found she was good at it. After marriage, she came to Modesto when her husband, who works the agriculture industry, received a promotion. Brittany found that she missed interacting with children. This motivated her to major in Liberal Studies to obtain a multi-subject teaching credential. She now has an infant child but continues with her studies and is excited at the prospect of making a lasting difference in the lives of the future generation through teaching.
Brittany Ross was the recipient of the 2017-2018 Grant-in-Aid provided by Eta Mu Chapter to a student at Modesto Junior College who is preparing to be a teacher. Brittany has a double major in English and Liberal Studies with a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.94. She was reared in Orange County and was inspired to study English by her high school sophomore English instructor. This teacher taught her critical thinking skills and how to understand the underlying meaning behind content. When Brittany was a senior in high school, she got a job at Disneyland where she worked for seven years. There she enjoyed Interacting with children and found she was good at it. After marriage, she came to Modesto when her husband, who works the agriculture industry, received a promotion. Brittany found that she missed interacting with children. This motivated her to major in Liberal Studies to obtain a multi-subject teaching credential. She now has an infant child but continues with her studies and is excited at the prospect of making a lasting difference in the lives of the future generation through teaching.
AREA XVII STUDENT TEACHER AWARD GIVEN TO MARIAELENA VASQUEZ
Each year, Area XVII awards an exceptional student teacher a grant to support her new classroom. This year Pat Elston nominated one of the excellent student teachers she supported through Brandman University, Mariaelena Vasquez. Ms. Vasquez was highly praised by her master teachers who recognized her ability to create an engaging and supporting environment in the classroom.
Ms. Vasquez is the first college graduate in her family. She attended school in the Ceres Unified School District graduating in 2004 from Ceres High School. She began working at the age of 16 and knew that she wanted to have a career, and not just a job. Influenced by great teachers during her own education, she wanted to become a teacher
Ms. Vasquez attended Modesto Junior College off and on for several semesters before transferring to CSU Long Beach and then to Brandman University where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies in 2012. After graduation, she " stepped in the classroom as a substitute teacher." Ms. Vasquez says, " I remember the feeling that reaffirmed my career choice, as I stood before the students, my skin crawled and I thought, this is where I see myself for many years to come, and although it may sound cliché the best feeling is the one I experience every time when a student understands something they had trouble understanding before."
Ms. Vasquez completed the Multiple Subjects Credential this past February in the Credential Program with Brandman University. She wrote, "Through the experience of student teaching I had the opportunity to work with phenomenal educators (Sally Parrott and Richard Smith) who I thank for all the support they provided me while I was in their classrooms. Working with Pat Elston, who was my supervisor and guided me into creating lessons that were comprehensible for my student, helped me realize that I had made the right career choice. Meeting educators like them also contributed to my inspiration in teaching; therefore, eager to expand my knowledge and qualifications I started the pursuit of a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction to become the educator my students deserve. In teaching, my interest is to understand the different ways children learn, and the strategies of teaching that maximizes each student’s potential, which is why I decided to pursue my masters in Curriculum and Instruction."
Outside of working and pursuing her education, Ms. Vasquez's primary focus is her 6-year-old son and her family who has been supportive throughout her educational journey and has helped her when life didn’t go according to her plan.
Area XVII Director Gloria Bracco and Eta Mu President Pat Elston, who nominated Ms. Vasquez, presented her with her award certificate and check in the classroom where she is serving as a long-term substitute teacher. She has been hired by the Sylvan Union School District and will begin teaching at the start of the 2018-19 school year.
Each year, Area XVII awards an exceptional student teacher a grant to support her new classroom. This year Pat Elston nominated one of the excellent student teachers she supported through Brandman University, Mariaelena Vasquez. Ms. Vasquez was highly praised by her master teachers who recognized her ability to create an engaging and supporting environment in the classroom.
Ms. Vasquez is the first college graduate in her family. She attended school in the Ceres Unified School District graduating in 2004 from Ceres High School. She began working at the age of 16 and knew that she wanted to have a career, and not just a job. Influenced by great teachers during her own education, she wanted to become a teacher
Ms. Vasquez attended Modesto Junior College off and on for several semesters before transferring to CSU Long Beach and then to Brandman University where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies in 2012. After graduation, she " stepped in the classroom as a substitute teacher." Ms. Vasquez says, " I remember the feeling that reaffirmed my career choice, as I stood before the students, my skin crawled and I thought, this is where I see myself for many years to come, and although it may sound cliché the best feeling is the one I experience every time when a student understands something they had trouble understanding before."
Ms. Vasquez completed the Multiple Subjects Credential this past February in the Credential Program with Brandman University. She wrote, "Through the experience of student teaching I had the opportunity to work with phenomenal educators (Sally Parrott and Richard Smith) who I thank for all the support they provided me while I was in their classrooms. Working with Pat Elston, who was my supervisor and guided me into creating lessons that were comprehensible for my student, helped me realize that I had made the right career choice. Meeting educators like them also contributed to my inspiration in teaching; therefore, eager to expand my knowledge and qualifications I started the pursuit of a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction to become the educator my students deserve. In teaching, my interest is to understand the different ways children learn, and the strategies of teaching that maximizes each student’s potential, which is why I decided to pursue my masters in Curriculum and Instruction."
Outside of working and pursuing her education, Ms. Vasquez's primary focus is her 6-year-old son and her family who has been supportive throughout her educational journey and has helped her when life didn’t go according to her plan.
Area XVII Director Gloria Bracco and Eta Mu President Pat Elston, who nominated Ms. Vasquez, presented her with her award certificate and check in the classroom where she is serving as a long-term substitute teacher. She has been hired by the Sylvan Union School District and will begin teaching at the start of the 2018-19 school year.