Outstanding Educators Honored at Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Education Celebration Event

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CA – Extraordinary educators from schools and districts across Santa Barbara County were honored at the 2024 Education Celebration event held Thursday evening at Craft House at Corque in Solvang. Hosted by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), the event highlighted over 100 grant and award winners for their contributions to the education profession and service to school communities. 

A packed house, filled with educators, school board members, business partners, and guests, celebrated the recipients of the Crystal Apple Educator Awards; Bill Cirone Heart of Education Award; Marvin Melvin Career Technical Educator Awards; Multilingual/Multicultural Curriculum Project Grants; Care for Our Earth Grants; Instructional Strategy Team Grants; Curriculum Project Grants; Performing Arts Curriculum Project Grants; Collaborative Learning Team Grants; and TeachNet Technology Grants. The outgoing and incoming Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year Awardees were also recognized.

Recipients were selected by SBCEO’s Teachers Network, which has provided $1.5 million in grants and awards since its establishment in 1983. Grants were awarded to individual and teams of teacher applicants for the development of new instructional strategies, projects, and collaborative approaches to support student learning in all subject areas, including literacy, environmental science, performing arts, mathematics, and technology integration. This year also saw the addition of a new category: Multilingual/Multicultural Curriculum Project Grants, designed to support Dual Language Immersion teachers, learners, and programs.

“Since its inception 31 years ago, the annual Education Celebration has never strayed from its original purpose: to elevate and celebrate the field of education, to spotlight the exceptional work and creativity of our educators, and to shower our honorees with gratitude,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of School Susan Salcido. “Thank you to our many business partners and sponsors for your generous support and investment in our county’s schools. Congratulations to each of the honorees for the critical work they do for students and school communities.”

The event included a special performance by the Cabrillo High School Madrigal Singers, directed by 2023 Santa Barbara Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Peterson. Emcees for the evening were Dr. Anne Hubbard, Superintendent of the Hope School District, and Dr. Darren McDuffie, Superintendent of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. 

Among the evening’s speakers was 2024 Santa Barbara County and California Teacher of the Year, Greg Wolf, who, in speaking to his colleagues in the room, shared: “I want to acknowledge my fellow educators for their dedication and commitment to the noble profession of teaching.” On his selection as both county and state Teacher of the Year, Wolf added, “It has been the absolute privilege of a lifetime to represent the dedicated teachers of our state, whose unwavering commitment to education shapes the future of our society. I am forever grateful for this recognition.”

Award recipients are listed below by category:

Crystal Apple Educator Awards

• Administrator:
  • Dr. Holly Edds, Orcutt Union School District
• Certificated specialists:
  • Carla Dewey, Lompoc High School, Lompoc Unified School District
  • Heather Magner, Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District
• Classified employees:
  • Frankianne Gallardo, La Colina Junior High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District
  • Berenis Santos, Santa Ynez School, College School District
• Elementary teachers:
  • Charlene Asmussen, Santa Ynez School, College School District
  • Daniel Barrett, Peabody Charter School
• Secondary teachers:
  • Maria D.R. Garmendia, Vandenberg Middle School, Lompoc Unified School District
  • Rolando Grijalva, Ernest Righetti High School, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District
• Early Care & Education
  • Silvia Hernández, Santa Barbara County Education Office

Bill Cirone Heart of Education Award

• Stephanie Hernandez-Jarvis, El Camino Elementary School, Goleta Union School District

Marvin Melvin Career Technical Educator Awards

• Gretchen Flaherty, Lompoc High School, Lompoc Unified School District
• Russell Thomas, Mark Richardson Career Technical Education Center & Agriculture Farm, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District

SBCEO appreciates the generous partners that provided funding for this year’s event, grants, and award recipients (listed alphabetically): Altrusa International Foundation, Santa Maria, Chevron, Cox Communications, ExxonMobil, Fielding Graduate University, Frank Schipper Construction Company, Melfred Borzall, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Rusty’s Pizza Parlor, Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara City College Foundation, Santa Barbara County Water Agency, Santa Barbara Teachers Federal Credit Union, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, Santa Ynez Valley Foundation, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Towbes Foundation, TRADART Foundation.

For the full list of award and grant recipients and details on our generous sponsors and community partners, please head to: www.sbceo.org/educationcelebration.