Rotary names Teachers of the Year

The Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise last week honored
community educators with its first annual Teacher Recognition
Breakfast, a morning of high praise and accolades for four of the
area’s best teachers.
Among the recipients were Healdsburg Elementary School’s Edna
Lucero, Fitch Mountain campus’s Denell Nunez, Healdsburg Junior
High School’s Kathy Alexander and Healdsburg High School’s Greg
Costa. Each arrived with a principal in tow who introduced and
praised each educator before an audience of public figures, guests
and Rotarians.
Healdsburg Unified School District Superintendent and Rotarian
Jeff Harding thanked the club for honoring teachers and spoke on
what makes an educator special. “It’s about doing good work,” he
said. “It’s about watching that light bulb go on. It’s like
planting seeds and trusting it will bear fruit in the years to
come.
Rotarian Pam Moulton called teachers “truly the models of our
community” and explained that an educator’s dedication to service
above self made them easy targets of Rotary’s praise.
Others, like Healdsburg Mayor Jim Wood, told stories on how
teachers had changed their lives. “An individual teacher can make a
big difference in a kid’s live, and certainly did for me,” he said.
“My hats off to you.”
Next came the principal’s introductions for each teacher, which
included heavy praise and some awkward moments for educators unused
to such public celebrity.
Healdsburg Elementary School Principal Peter Fong called Lucero
an advocate for all of her students, picking the words fabulous and
stellar to describe her. “She really tries to work with all the
families and make sure all her students do well,” he said.
Lucero sounded taken aback from her principal’s introduction.
“It’s sort of overwhelming to receive all that recognition,” she
said.
Fitch Mountain campus Principal Amber Stringfellow called Nunez
a positive force at her school and a teacher who always puts her
students first. “I can’t tell you how many parents come in and ask
what grade she’ll be teaching next year, to request her,” she
said.
Stringfellow spoke on what it was like to come to Nunez’s
classroom and interact with her students. “When you walk in,
they’re all so welcoming,” she said. “They are so happy to share
what they’re learning. She has really created an atmosphere of
respect, sharing and hard work.”
“It is an honor,” said Nunez moments after receiving her award.
“All of my colleagues are as deserving as I am. It’s something I’m
passionate about and to be recognized for that is
unbelievable.”
Healdsburg Junior High School Principal Deborah Hall told the
audience how Alexander opens her classroom to students for lunch
each day for help in math and science, openly wondering when the
teacher has time to eat. “It makes a difference to her that they’re
successful, and each of them knows that,” she said.
Alexander welcomed the kind words for her profession. “It feels
good to be hearing nice things about teachers, and that the
Rotarians are recognizing teachers at a good time,” she said.
Healdsburg High School Principal John Curry acknowledged Costa
for both his teaching and coaching, calling his classroom a safe
haven for students and staff. “He knows students by knowing about
their outside activities and cultures,” he said. “Students buy into
him because they know he cares about them.”
Costa was thankful to hear kind words for teachers but
downplayed his own praise. “I don’t feel that I’m really special,”
he said. “I just enjoy working with the kids and always have.”
District school board president and former teacher Judy
Velasquez said the experience was emotional for her. “I worked with
three of those teachers, and they’re excellent,” she said. “I
actually had tears listening to these teachers being acknowledged
for the dedication they have in the classroom.”