PV Peninsula Rotary-Educator of the Year 2020/2021

he 2020 Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Virtual Educator of the Year event, on February 4th, may have looked different then past years, but the virtual event upheld the beautiful tradition of honoring and recognizing the outstanding nominees for this year.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club has been honoring teachers in the Palos Verdes Peninsula for 40 years. The honorees are nominated by their peers at their respective institutions based on their exemplary leadership, creativity, and commitment to their students.

Although 2020 has been an unprecedented year for all of us, teachers had no option but to quickly pivot and restructure their classrooms from in-person to virtual. The educators who were honored this year have worked tirelessly to connect, encourage and inspire their students all the while modeling flexibility, resilience, grace and tenacity.

Each honoree received a Seiko engraved clock, Educator-of-the-year (EOTY) pin, Terranea Resort gift card, and a $500 monetary award from the Moon Family. The following is a list of the teachers honored as an Educator of the Year by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary for the 2020-2021 school years:

Bonnie Roth – Dapplegray Elementary – 3rd grade

Captain Joy Groenleer – Salvation Army, Palos Verdes Peninsula – Family Care Center Director, College for Officer Training

Michelle Slattery – Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

Chris Meisel – Chadwick School – 6th grade Humanities

Jose Rincon – Marymount College University – Librarian

Kristy Spencer – Rancho Vista Elementary – 3rd grade

Jonny Brammh – Rolling Hills Preparatory and Renaissance School

Christy Burden – Peninsula Heritage School – Kindergarten

Lydia Cordova – Ridgecrest Intermediate School

“If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.” Guy Kawasaki

“Teaching is supposed to be challenging! It is supposed to force you to think critically, be creative, take risks, understand your students and inspire them to understand each other. Model for your students how to be confident yet humble, curious yet thorough, both funny and serious, and how to be a leader and a follower.” Chris Meisel, Chadwick School