GOLDEN APPLE:

Buellton Union Schools music teacher Ron Zell was named Santa
Barbara County teacher of the year at last week’s County Board of
Education meeting. A Santa Maria native and 16-year veteran of the
classroom, Zell was selected by a committee of teachers,
administrators, PTA boards, and school boardmembers in recognition
of his wide ranging musical skills and teaching ingenuity. Well
versed in piano, guitar, trumpet, trombone, and drums, Zell sees an
average of 540 students per week in his capacity as Buellton’s K-3
general music teacher, 4th-grade chorus and recorder instructor,
and band leader for 5th through 8th graders, ranging from beginning
to advanced. Additionally, Zell—who has taught in Buellton schools
for six years—is known for demonstrating the magic of music in the
classroom to fellow teachers of all subjects.