Parent/Student Nominated Teachers 2016

We asked the students and parents of Orange County to share tales of their favorite teachers, and they did not disappoint. Over 200 essays were sent in, honoring the educators who go above and beyond. Here are a few we had to share.

Read the full versions of the parent/student nominations as well as all of the other amazing teachers who were nominated!

Top Nominated Family Favorite

Kamee Nuzman, Irvine High School

Reading through the 27 (!) essays written about Kamee Nuzman of Irvine High School, I was both awed by the inspiration and love “Nuz” obviously made her students feel and flummoxed how to integrate so many messages of how important this teacher was to their lives. “More than a teacher”, “made me love literature”, “I don’t know where I would be without her”, “she gave us priceless life lessons”, “she has not only impacted our writing, but our lives”, “perfect blend of strict discipline and fierce devotion to her students” — how do you sum up the value of an individual that has clearly touched so many? Then I read the below tribute, by student Tiffany Chhuor. I think this does the job, quite nicely.

“Be patient with the process. If you can’t handle this, turn the handle on that door and leave Honors British Literature.” This should initiate shivers down one’s spine; however, I knew that deep down, she would be an inspiration. Students can clearly see her passion in instilling a solid foundation in not only English, but other valuable life lessons. She understands that a classroom is not just a place to learn, but it is a safe haven and a place of varying passions.

She spends many hours outside of school to prepare her lesson plans to make it memorable and entertaining. I never had a teacher sprinkle rose petals along the entrance to her room to present a poem. With “To the Virgins, to Make Most of Time” by Robert Herrick, she emphasized that we must seize the day and understand that each opportunity is a rose petal that will soon disappear from our hands. She focuses on the student’s needs and trying to incorporate life lessons into each lesson. There is never a day that goes by without meaningful and high depth of knowledge discussion. Everyone is so eager to get started with the new lesson and all hands are up and ready to participate. Analyzing a modern music video to a 17th century poem, she utilizes a variety of resources to teach her lessons. She opens her arms to every student who needs help or just needs an adult to confide with.

Mrs. Nuzman is beginning an eye-opening legacy. She changed our lives forever. She is extremely dedicated to teaching and making sure she can catch us if we fall. Not only does she use fun methods of teaching us, she teaches us real world problems. Mrs. Nuzman is the first teacher that I have become so attached to in the short period of one semester. She is always in a happy mood and is excited to teach everything she can. She truly deserves this because she brings out the best in her students.”

She is the first to emphasize an important message, which we have all failed to acknowledge throughout our high school career: “Your grades do not define who you are. You matter to me. You are my future and my children’s future. If you could see yourself the way I do, you would never have an ounce of self-esteem issues or fear of being judged. You are the reason why I sleep at night and wake up bright and early. I love seeing your faces and I am so thankful for your contributions to my life. I signed up to teach and share my passion, but I come home from work reflecting on how much more I learn from all of you. Remember that I love you and I am always here for each and every one of you.”

Allysha Neebe

Abiding Savior, Lake Forest

Nominated by Ann Ashmon

Ms. Neebe goes out of her way to meet the individual needs of every student. She has worked with a home-bound student dealing with long term illness, keeping that student connected to classmates through video links, hand-written notes, and modified assignments. Whether the need is temporary or long term, Ms. Neebe puts thoughtful effort into each individual situation. She does all this with a positive attitude and genuine concern and regard for her students.

Laura Karraker

AmeriMont Academy Elementary, Anaheim Hills

Nominated by Deidra Stewart

My daughter begs to go to school. Ms. Karraker has taught my daughter to ask good questions, problem solve and collaborate with others. Last Monday, my daughter couldn’t wait to go to school to see if the petals of the flower were going to change from the colored water. I’m thankful my daughter doesn’t sit at a desk all day and listen to lecture the way I did when I was little. The only downside to having Ms. Karraker as a first grade teacher is that she will be tough to follow and my daughter has a lot of grades to go!

Melissa Hendershot

Arroyo Elementary School, North Tustin

Nominated by Julie Buetow

Creative, organized, patient and friendly these are all attitudes that Mrs. Hendershot has with all her kindergarten students. A student’s foundation for learning is built upon each day in school and I can see the twinkle in my kids eyes when they share each night at the dinner table about what they did and learned in school each day.

Kyle Russo

Bathgate Elementary, Mission Viejo

Nominated by Cris Wilson

Mr. Russo never hesitates to make time to transform into any silly character to promote academics and family time (Walk-to-School, Read Across America, Jog-a-Thon, Bingo, etc.). A true measure of the quality of someone’s work is the difference that person makes in other people’s lives. Thousands of students are walking testimonials for his love of teaching. PS. He has a messy desk, but is perfect in every other way.

Julie Dent

Bonita Canyon Elementary School, Irvine

Nominated by Naomi Sognefest

Ms. Dent is the best teacher I have ever had. She made me love reading and writing last year in third grade. I even did creative writing with her and others kids in my class this summer. She is strict but loving. She also came to my singing performances, and to my friends’ basketball and soccer games. Ms. Dent also passes out a paper at the beginning of the school year that students may fill out with requests for her to come to watch something that they do – sporting event, acting performance, music recital, etc. Ms. Dent almost always shows up.

Autumn Browne

Brookhurst Jr. High, Anaheim

Nominated by Melania Grabador

Autumn has turned a drama program which is, sadly, an afterthought at too many schools into a powerhouse showcase program. Her energy, creativity, and dedication results in eight productions a year, plus assemblies, lunchtime performances, and community presentations. She writes numerous grants, and enlists professional actors and playwrights to teach master classes in stage combat, movement, journalism, and screenwriting — bringing real life experience into the classroom.

Carol Thompson

Capistrano Valley Christian, San Juan Capistrano

Nominated by Jeff Marchand

When I was a freshman, I was interested in two things- sports and plowing through my classes with as little effort and experience as possible. She is the only teacher who I have ever had who possessed a perfect balance of positive reinforcement when I was feeling frustrated and plain honesty when I just wasn’t giving good effort. During my Junior year she battled breast cancer and had to leave half way through the year for treatment. She told us she would be back, and she was true to her word. I can’t imagine any one else being more worthy.

Rocco Paterno

Carl Hanke, Mission Viejo

Nominated by Sofia De Leon

Mr. Paterno is much more than just a teacher at my school. He strives to promote and explain the importance in setting and exceeding goals throughout our lives. He continually motivates and encourages all of his students to make a real difference in the world. He teaches life lessons that will stay with us forever. Mr. Paterno has changed me, as a person, for the better, as he has done with almost all of us. He loves every student as if each of us were his own kids, and he treats us as such with his determination, positive attitude, and kind, uplifting attitude.

Bill Brooks

Eastshore Elementary, Irvine

Nominated by Kellie Pendergest

Brook’s believes that Children Learn What They Live. To enhance his ocean awareness curriculum, each year, Brooks takes 100 students from Eastshore to Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) for a week of Outdoor Science School. In an Ocean summer course, students study marine biology, ocean recreation, beach safety, and physical oceanography in a classroom setting and bring their learning to life with experiences paddle boarding in the ocean, taking a marine wildlife cruise, snorkeling in a kelp forest, and stand-up paddle boarding in Newport’s Back Bay. As an environmental advocate, Brooks took 12 elementary students to Sacramento to lobby to ban shark fin soup in California. He also established a Green Team implementing a compost system for the school.

Michelle Henderson

Charles G. Emery, Buena Park

Nominated by Tharwa Ahmad

She puts in so much time and effort at our school, always attends after school meetings, works late and never hesitates to volunteer wherever she can. This year she added outdoor workspace for our kids next to her classroom because she believes kids need to be outdoors more as well! Mrs. Henderson is also my second daughter’s Girl Scout leader, after a long hard day at school this doesn’t stop her from teaching our girls everything from butterfly life cycles to recycling and going green. We are so fortunate to have her at our school!

Rick Thompson

College Park, Irvine

Nominated by Reem Quronfleh

Mr. Thompson my 5th Grade teacher has made my school year so enjoyable. He is a very caring teacher, he wants every student to do well. He takes time to explain things if we don’t understand and that can be hard and time consuming when you have 32 kids in the classroom. He is kind, gentle, inspiring and always talks to us in an uplifting and positive manner. We need more teachers like Mr. Thompson!

Jennifer Ferrara

Emery Elementary School, Buena Park

Nominated by Anthony Suh and Priscilla Lee

Ms. Ferrara is an amazing woman that just loves all of her students. Her personality is astounding. She does everything to satisfy her students such as paying money to go into the Los Angeles Museum. She also teaches us a lot about what to look forward to in the future. She is who I look up to if I need to be encouraged to keep on trying and not to give up. She is the best teacher I’ve had in all of my life because she is inspiring and plans awesome activities for our class. She really knows how to fill us with knowledge. She is cool, caring and good at teaching. She is my favorite teacher because she is funny and she makes you laugh. She is only mad when we are really misbehaving. She explained words that are hard for us to understand. She is in charge with all the fun stuff at our school, like barbeque and ice cream parties. She is the best teacher I ever had.

Jeffrey Sanders

Fairmont, Orange

Nominated by Alissa Herman

Mr. Sanders has been a teacher at Fairmont Elementary school for 35 years. He brings music and singing into the classroom which every child loves. He believes in the power of reading to your children. Everyone on campus knows and loves Mr. Sanders. He remembers the names of previous students. Even students from many years ago! We appreciate teachers like Mr. Sanders who love teaching and love the kids!

Ian Sabala

John F. Kennedy High School, La Palma

Nominated by Angelica Lopez

This is the best teacher I have ever had, Ever! He has taught me so much education wise as well as real world life lessons. He is so genuine in the way he cares for his students and how he does his best to ensure our leaning. It has been 4 years since he was my teacher and to this day I use everything he had ever taught me. I was lucky enough to have him 3 out of 4 years in high school and I feel so lucky. To this day I know that if I ever needed or wanted to ask for help he would be there.

Cobi Luciani

Magnolia Science Academy, Costa Mesa

Nominated by Joseph Espinoza

She is a great teacher, very interactive, funny and enthusiastic. Always cheerful and supporting to help students even far beyond what she is paid for. We can see that she loves her profession and career. I love Mrs. Luciani! She should win this award because she always encourages us to do our best! She is very funny and an amazing teacher!!

Jene Streeter

Mariners Christian School, Costa Mesa

Nominated by Pam Copple

The extraordinary Mrs. Streeter cares about her students learning math and liking it. She relates well to all kinds of kids and accepts each child for who they are and truly believes all of her students will learn how to work successfully with numbers. Her gift is giving each of her students the power to believe in themselves, which gives them necessary confidence to persevere and gain the competence they need to succeed. She makes herself available to her students during her waking hours, 7 days a week. She is always there for her kids because, as she underscores in many ways, she never lets them give up. Imagine what our kids could do if all teachers gave more than 100% of themselves like Mrs. Streeter.

Zach Halop

Northwood High School, Irvine

Nominated by Dan Chmielewski

The very inspiring Zach Halop runs Northwood High’s six-time high school Grammy winner Choral program; he manages six different choral groups teaching singers to sight read musical notes. He teamed with the school’s orchestra director to do a combined choral/orchestra score from Star Wars that had the Northwood stage covered with musicians over every square inch.

Deborah Gorney

Philip J. Reilly Elementary, Mission Viejo

Nominated by Deena Johnson

Mrs. Gorney is always so warm and kind with her 1st grade class children. Instead of having a “treasure” box, which many 1st grade classrooms have, Mrs. Gorney rewards the children immediately with slips of paper acknowledging the good behavior that she noticed. The slips may say “I caught you reading” or “I caught you being kind” or “I love how clean you keep your desk”. The children love being noticed for doing their best and it’s a great motivator for continued good behavior. Mrs. Gorney deeply cares about each of her students. In her view, there is no such thing as a “bad kid”. Her ability to command a class of 30+ first graders (the great majority boys) without even raising her voice is impressive. Her dedication to her students is unwavering.

Janelle Crain

Red Hill Elementary, Tustin

Nominated by Eve Nam

Janelle Crain gets an A+ times 10 as an educator. We recognize how competitive the field is in Orange County, but Janelle truly stands out. She focuses on the holistic development of each child, including their academic performance, analytic capabilities, leadership, team-building, and broader social/interpersonal skills. She embraces new ideas and philosophies to incorporate into her teaching, challenging herself at all times to do best by the kids. That means she may change her curriculum, she may push herself outside her comfort zone because her goal is to create great adults. She is a fun person but sets boundaries for the students – teaching them tough but valuable lessons on accountability, respect, and prioritization. Plus, I love her focus on the social values and the bigger world in which our children live.

Joseph Snedeker

San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano

Nominated by Sandra Sady-Kennedy

Mr. Snedeker is a renaissance man, a teacher that motivates students to learn as opposed to work towards a grade. Students look forward to his History classes because he just doesn’t simply tell a story, he makes students live within the story. The letters of recommendation that he wrote on my son’s behalf to different universities speak wonders of someone that took his time to get to know a student inside and out, sometimes sacrificing his own personal (family) time. It is teachers like him that gives us hope not only for education for life itself! Mr. Snedeker is a US History professor. Not only he is a great educator; but, he goes way beyond the scope of his duty to become a mentor of any student that has a passion for History in particular and learning in general.

Hannah Lim

Robert C. Fisler, Fulllerton

Nominated by Anthony Hong

Mrs. Lim is deserving of this honorable award because she exceeds all the requirements of a great teacher, from educating to connecting with students. Every parent wants their kid to be in Mrs. Lim’s class because they know that their child will receive the optimal education and strong mentorship. Mrs. Lim is very organized and prepared well. She loves, educates and motivates kids very well. She thinks about what her students need and tries to develop activities that will help the students build the necessary skills. An example of this is the debates she has had her class prepare. This teaches both oral skills, such as confident delivery and listening, as well as how to persuade with evidence to support your claims.

Elaine Krause

San Marino, Buena Park

Nominated by Tonia O’Banion

Miss Krause helped our son with so much during his time with her. He has ADHD and has a very hard time at school. Miss Krause took the extra time he needed and worked with him so patiently. She has an energizing spirit that kids so need today. Miss Krause sets the standards that I wish all teachers would aspire to have. We loved her and my son still talks about her two years later.

Gretchen Cariker

St. John’s Lutheran School, Orange

Nominated by Julie Smith

Mrs. Cariker is so patient. She has an ability to gain and keep the attention of all of her students. She knows the heart of each precious little soul in her class. She cares for them all as if they were her own. The attention she affords each child is truly rare in even some of the best teachers. She is a gift.

Cynthia Dickson

Tijeras Creek Elementary, Rancho Santa Margarita

Nominated by Walker Bahrami

Written by a 6 year old: My teacher Mrs. Dickson is THE BEST. She makes learning fun and exciting. WE do everything from science music reading and even PE. We even do fun experiments. She sings songs and she loves us very much. She is the best teacher in the whole world! I am so happy that she is my first grade teacher. From parent: Mrs. Dickson is the best of the best! She always has a smile on her face and is always so sweet to her “kiddos!” She has the kindest heart and can be found down on one knee talking to her students at their level. You can feel the love that she has for each and every one of them! We LOVE Mrs. Dickson!!!

Wendy Hudson

Tustin Memorial Academy, Santa Ana

Nominated by Mary Pham

Our principal Ms. Hudson has truly touched the lives of each and every student at TMA, where she literally knows the name of the over 600 students in our school. She understands their individualized needs and collaborates with teachers, parents and students so that they can truly succeed. She is outside helping to unload kids from cars and is always involved with teachers and student activities and lends a helping hand in every area of the school. Under Ms. Hudson’s leadership, she has led our school to becoming the #1 school (highest test scores) in the district and the Top 15 in the County. We were recently notified by the District that she would be transferred to another school. Her commitment and strong leadership and her ability to touch our student’s lives will be deeply missed. She is a role model to us all.

Michele Smallwood

TVT, Irvine

Nominated by Payson Lederman

Mrs. Smallwood is an amazing educator who really CARES about each and every one of her students. She treats them as if they were her own children. She is patient and understanding and is always available to spend whatever extra time a student needs with her. She provides breadth and depth of learning in her English (Language and Literature) and Journalism classes and overall is a truly wonderful teacher.

Joan Brewer

Wagner Elementary, Placentia

Nominated by Deidre Hill

Joan Brewer has touched the lives of many Placentia students over her long teaching career. I believe that Ms. Brewer has taught 30+ years, yet she still teaches each class with the enthusiasm of a new teacher. Recently we saw Ms. Brewer’s car and my daughter wanted to stop and say “Hi.” Ms. Brewer remembered her name (after 11 years) and some of my daughter’s interests. I admire a teacher that could be near the end of their teaching career speaking so passionately about her students. She told us that she was planning on teaching many more years. The name of Joan Brewer is well known in Placentia. She is the teacher that every student wants, and that every parent wants for their child.

Michelle Lambright

Woodland Elementary School, Costa Mesa

Nominated by Kristen Aguilar

Mrs. Michelle Lambright exudes joy for what she does, from her high fives to every child down the line at morning line-up, to her bubbly voice that you can hear from afar. Our son has had educational struggles that she picked up on and is working to support him with, starting with his first weeks in her class. This was a relief because we did not know what to expect from a public school experience. Mrs. Lambright makes her class an adventure and shows kindness for every child in her charge. We recently encountered a family no longer at the school and when they found out Mrs. Lambright was our son’s teacher, the comment was “We love her! She was our son’s teacher and taught him so much! She even came to visit him and bring him a balloon after having his tonsils taken out!”. Thank you Mrs. Lambright for being an important and pivotal educator for our children.

Read the full versions of the parent/student nominations as well as all of the other amazing teachers who were nominated!