Cohen, Schoenwetter and Torres named 2006-07 Santa Barbara County Distinguished Educators

Carlos Cohen, a social studies teacher at San Marcos High School; Ned Schoenwetter, a fourth grade teacher at Foothill School in Goleta; and Ana Torres a kindergarten teacher at Ontiveros School in Santa Maria, were named 2006-07 Santa Barbara County Distinguished Educators by County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone. A reception and recognition ceremony in honor of the Distinguished Educators will be held at the June 1 board meeting of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

Distinguished Educators comprise a category formed to acknowledge outstanding teachers in the Teacher of the Year awards program. “Carlos Cohen, Ned Schoenwetter, and Ana Torres exemplify what is best in our profession,” said Superintendent Cirone. “We created the Distinguished Educators award as a means of paying tribute to the successes and the dedication the truly outstanding teachers display every day.”

The award was created as an outgrowth of the annual county Teacher of the Year award. This year, the selection committee, which included representatives of teachers, administrators, PTAs, and school boards, expressed strong feelings that the applications and credentials of Cohen, Schoenwetter, and Torres were clearly Teacher-of-the-Year caliber.

The committee members could only select one teacher to represent the county for the State Teacher of the Year award; but members felt strongly they should also acknowledge the excellence of these outstanding educators.

“This is our way of publicly announcing how very grateful and proud we are of their efforts and successes,” said Mr. Cirone.

Ron Zell, a music teacher in the Buellton Union School District, was named County Teacher of the Year on May 4. He will represent Santa Barbara County as a candidate for state Teacher of the Year.

Carlos Cohen teaches 10th grade World History, 11th grade U.S. History, and REACH, grades 9 – 11. He received an Associate of Science degree in engineering and computer technology from Glendale Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in history, a masters in education, and a teaching credential, all from UCSB. He started teaching 10th and 11th grade social studies at San Marcos High School seven and a half years ago.

He has provided in-service workshops to educators in underperforming schools and in county court and continuation schools, and has served as a support provider for the Beginning Teacher Support Association (BTSA). Has also served as a UCSB Center for Teaching of Social Justice Fellow, and has been a project participant in the UCLA Teacher Researcher Initiative Project. Among his many leadership or spokesperson activities he has been a Cal-SOAP Coordinator. Having previously served as a U.S. Marine, his current community involvement takes shape as a coach (Goleta Boys and Girls Club, Goleta Valley South Little League, Foothill Little League) and a go-between for various organizations. He has worked with outreach programs such as Upward Bound, among others, and has won numerous awards, including the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society Award, PTSA Honorary Service Award, and the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society Award.

Wrote student Madison Gonzalez: “Mr. Cohen’s mission as a teacher has always been to create not just good students but good people. Every day the class was dismissed with his quote: ‘Take care of yourself by taking care of others.’”

Wrote Principal Craig Morgan: “He has earned respect and admiration from his students and colleagues and is known throughout the school for his innovative teaching skills and dedication to excellence and determination. Mr. Cohen has a vast record of past and present academic and co-curricular leadership positions…Mr. Cohen’s background is as impressive as his ability to teach young people. The Home of the Royals is a better place because of Mr. Cohen’s professional ethics in supporting our students!”

Wrote Sheridan Blau, director of the UCSB South Coast Writing Project: He is a great and legendary teacher in the classroom and an exemplary representative of the teaching profession. He is also widely respected throughout our tri-county region for his…leadership in promoting more effective teaching practices in all classrooms and for the benefit of all students…In every program where Carlos represents our project, he inspires teachers with the passion and deep understanding he demonstrates for his subject and for his calling as a teacher, and with the respect he shows for his colleagues as professionals.”

Ned Schoenwetter, in his tenth year of teaching, currently teaches fourth grade at Foothill Elementary School in the Goleta Union School District. His first five years of teaching were in suburban Chicago; he then moved to the Santa Barbara area, where he is in his fifth year in Goleta.

Schoenwetter received a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. He started teaching in Glenview, Ill., where he taught physical education, fine arts, and was a classroom aide. He then taught for four years at Edison School in Skokie, Ill. He began working in Goleta at Isla Vista School, teaching fifth grade. He has also worked at Ellwood School and Foothill School, movement caused by declines in student enrollment that led to reductions in staffing.

He has given many in-services to coworkers on how to best use technology to improve instruction and has helped teachers develop classroom websites, use e-mail, and use video editing software. He has been involved in the South Coast Science Project at UCSB and has been part of the UCSB preprofessional program, having undergraduate students perform observations in his classroom. His Foothill News Group has gained major attention, winning Disseminator Grants through the Teachers Network, and has been being featured in newspaper articles and television features. He has also represented elementary educators at the Santa Barbara High School District’s Career Day, and instructs at Safety Town during the summer months.

Wrote Principal Ed Armstrong: “In addition to being excellent in the classroom, he also has taken leadership roles at Foothill. He is always positive, enthusiastic and encouraging with colleagues.”

Wrote Instructional Media Services Coordinator and former colleague Steve Keithley: “Ned promotes communication with students and families with his highly effective and heavily-used website. [He is] a caring teacher who uses humor, sincere interest in all students, and the appeal of technology to spark a desire to learn...Ned inspires many — students and adults alike.”

Wrote Foothill teacher and parent Mark Casady: “I am both a teacher at Foothill Elementary School with Mr. Schoenwetter and a parent of one of the students in his fourth grade classroom…Although Mr. Schoenwetter’s accomplishments in the technical arena are admirable, it is how he brings each subject matter alive that truly makes him special…He inspires his students to excel and his love of his subject matter comes through as he teaches…He is an inspiration as a teacher and helps keep that fire alive inside me to grow as a professional and to keep the needs of our students at the forefront of all that we do.”

Ana Torres, a kindergarten teacher at Ontiveros School in Santa Maria-Bonita for 17 years and an educator for 29 years, received her bachelor’s degree in child development, her teaching credentials and her bilingual/bicultural (BCLAD) certificate, along with a Certificate of Competence in Spanish, all from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

She began her teaching career in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District at Oakley School, and also taught at Fairlawn School. She was an intersession teacher for the district, teaching bilingual kindergarten and remedial and enrichment activities, and a School Readiness Summer Program teacher, before starting at Ontiveros in 1989.

Torres is a Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Support provider, a trainer for new fifth grade teachers, and a Master Teacher for student teachers. She was named Santa Maria-Bonita School District Teacher of the Year, Ontiveros School Teacher of the Year, and won a state Golden Bell award for her program, “School Success Begins in Kindergarten.” She also received the Santa Maria Valley Quality Child Care Community Award.

She is involved in her children’s community sports activities, has been a member of the Ontiveros School Site Council, and has served as treasurer of the school’s PTA. She has been involved in Cancer Walk for Life, the Alzheimer’s Walk, and Cruising for Cancer.

Wrote Assistant Superintendent Phil Alvarado: “Her tireless efforts in the classroom, her drive to improve student achievement, and her natural ability to build collaborative teaching teams are unprecedented…Her expertise and vision expand far beyond her classroom and school…After 30 years she has not let up one single step and is as energized today as she was in the beginning of her illustrious career.”

Wrote former student Adriana Marie Peinado: “‘Everything I know about life I learned in Kindergarten’ reflected what Mrs. Torres had in mind. I know that learning academics with Mrs. Torres was fun, challenging, memorable, rewarding and nurturing…I have also entrusted our first born, Marcus, to her professional efforts and expertise in educating him during his kindergarten experiences…This coming year, Mrs. Torres will have our youngest son Austin in her class. This is our choice and our honor! She represents all who call themselves professional educators with pride and focus.”

Wrote Principal Linda Cordero: “She epitomizes the knowledge, stamina and dedication that we wish for in every teacher…She provides students with the kind of school experience that makes them want to learn while structuring her classroom so that they also learn appropriate school behavior. Parents are welcomed and often become learners as well…She exemplifies the professionalism that fosters progress and improvement in education. She has spent her career making sure that one person really does count when it comes to making things happen!”

Further information about the Distinguished Educators award is available from Louise Fisher at the County Education Office, 964-4710, ext. 5281.