Riccardo Magni Wins County Teacher of the Year Award

Competitive power lifter and Santa Maria biology teacher Riccardo Magni won this year’s S.B. County Teacher of the Year Award. One of the founders of the 85 percent minority Pioneer Valley High School, Magni has guided his students to above-average biology scores while helping 14 students to pass the AP Biology exam last year. He has also brought in $45,000 in grant monies to fund programs like the Summer Science Institute where students prepare science fair projects. “Every day I go to work, I try my best,” Magni said when accepting the award.