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Here are Orange County’s top 6 educators this year

April 28, 2023

“Mrs. Chang, Mrs. Chang, Mrs Chang,” was the chorus that greeted fifth-grade teacher Vivian Chang as she walked outside her classroom, her mouth open in shock, to take in the sight of about 440 students lined up around the school quad to cheer for her.

She took a lap of honor, stopping to hug some students and high-fiving others at Red Hill Elementary School in Santa Ana.

Chang had just been surprised by Ramon Miramontes, deputy superintendent of the OC Department of Education, who burst into her classroom to inform her she is one of the county’s six 2024 Teacher of the Year recipients.

Across the county, teachers were surprised on Thursday morning, April 27, with an entourage consisting of Miramontes, district officials, representatives from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union (the sponsor of the annual award), family and friends.

The teachers were awarded an apple trophy, a $25,000 check from the Orange County Teachers of the Year Award Foundation and an invitation to a reception at the Disneyland Hotel in November. The teachers will also have an opportunity to compete for California Teacher of the Year.

Here are the top educators in Orange County this year.

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises teacher Laura Blackie at San Joaquin Elementary School in Laguna Hills, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Blackie was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Teacher Laura Blackie takes a photo with her students at San Joaquin Elementary School in Laguna Hills, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Blackie was one of six awarded Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Laura Blackie

San Joaquin Elementary School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District

As a teacher in a Title 1 school in an underserved community, Blackie believes she has the opportunity to “close the achievement gap.”

Influenced by the story of educator Jaime Escalante in the movie “Stand and Deliver,” Blackie strives to instill in her students the desire, or “ganas,” to learn.

“I continually tell them, ‘You can do it,’” she wrote in her Teacher of the Year application. “I share stories of role models such as astronaut José Hernández, a son of migrant farm workers and a multilingual learner who succeeded in school once he became determined to do so.”

Blackie, who teaches second through fifth grades, started at Saddleback Valley Unified School District in 1995. Her motivation is her students and the “aha moments” when they grasp a concept.

Over the years, her teaching style has evolved, Blackie said, to incorporate technology and make the class more collaborative.

Recognizing that a large number of students in California are now multilingual learners, Blackie said, she incorporates her personal experience as a language learner in the classroom. She shares in her classroom how she became fluent in Spanish by tutoring her students in their homes over the summer break, asking their families to only speak with her in Spanish.

And her methods have been successful.

In her application, Blackie wrote about her student, Alejandro, who didn’t know any English when he joined her class.

“He has since worked as a dental hygienist and in a medical supply company and is now in college studying business administration and finance,” she said.

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises teacher Vivian Chang at Red Hill Elementary School in Santa Ana, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Chang was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Red Hill Elementary School teacher Vivian Chang takes a photo with her husband, John Chang, after she was named one of the Orange County Teachers of the Year in Santa Ana, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Chang was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Red Hill Elementary School teacher Vivian Chang gets high-fives from students after she was named one of the Orange County Teachers of the Year in Santa Ana, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Chang was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Vivian Chang

Red Hill Elementary School, Tustin Unified School District

Growing up, Chang experienced “some real emotional rollercoasters,” she said. Now, as a teacher, her top priority is to connect with students who experience adversity. The classroom, she says, is more than just for academics.

“Stories of hardships due to loss, illness, low income and divorce are all a part of my students’ important stories,” Chang said. “Knowing every one of my students’ stories is critical in order for me to be the best teacher I can be.”

Chang’s path to becoming a teacher was not an easy one. As a child, she moved with her mother to South Korea but had to move back to the U.S. two years later. Her father later suffered a stroke, resulting in Chang and her brother becoming his caretakers. As she pursued her education and teaching credentials, she had to work three jobs to care for her family.

These experiences, she said, have made her an empathetic teacher, focused on the socio-emotional needs of her students.

How does that translate to the classroom? When she introduces something new to her students, Chang asks them to place their fingers on their chests, showing on a scale of 1 to 5 if they understood the lesson.

“It helps me to know who needs more help and who needs my support. And it’s a great way for them to show me that information without feeling embarrassed,” Chang said. “It’s just between me and them.”

Chang and her students also agree to a “classroom constitution” at the beginning of each school year, a document proudly displayed above the whiteboard. It establishes expectations and designates the classroom as a safe place to make mistakes and act with integrity.

Orange Coast College teacher Kelli Elliott (center in red) takes a photo with her students after being named one of the Orange County Department of Education’s Teachers of the Year on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises Orange Coast College teacher Kelli Elliott in Costa Mesa, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Elliott was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Orange Coast College teacher Kelli Elliott is named one of the Orange County Department of Education’s Teachers of the Year on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Orange Coast College teacher Kelli Elliott reacts as she is presented with a $25,000 check from Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent at the Orange County Department of Education. Elliott was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year during a stop at the college in Costa Mesa, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023.. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Kelli Elliott

Orange Coast College, Coast Community College District

Thiah Hung Phan, a second-year student, first had Elliott as a teacher when classes were online during the pandemic. He liked her “unique” teaching style so he enrolled in her courses again this year.

Elliott, he said, helps her students understand the material — and how to apply those concepts to real life. It’s the real deal, Phan said.

“She’s passionate, she knows what she’s doing,” said Shayda Roshdieh, a second-year student who takes two classes with Elliott. “You can clearly tell that she’s in love with what she does.”

Elliott decided to teach biology and environmental science at community college after teaching lab classes as a graduate student at Cal State Fullerton, particularly enjoying how she could break down concepts for students and show how biology can be something that is “really enjoyable, enlightening.”

Working with students is what keeps her coming back. “The more they ask me, the more I learn,” she said.

The job has its fair share of challenges too, she said. Since the students are a diverse population in different stages of their lives — some have families, some are returning students, others are veterans and many balance jobs with school — “trying to teach them all is really difficult, especially in some of my larger classes,” she said.

“I try to make myself available if they need me or if I am noticing that someone is slipping behind,” Elliott said. “I do my best to reach out to them.”

One of the ways Elliott reaches her students is through field trips, including to the Mojave Desert, one of her favorite spots.

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises teacher Francisco Sandoval at Orangethorpe Elementary School in Fullerton, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Sandoval was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tteacher Francisco Sandoval takes a photo with his students at Orangethorpe Elementary School in Fullerton, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Sandoval was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Francisco Sandoval

Orangethorpe Elementary School, Fullerton School District

Racing is the clear theme in Sandoval’s classroom. Posterboards explain the different parts of cars, black and white checkerboard print adorns the whiteboard and Nascar and Formula One flags are stuck on the wall.

But Sandoval’s passion for racing translates into lessons: Math problems on distance, speed and time are explained through the sport, and students turn into journalists to “report” on different races for their language class.

Once he had the students interested in racing, Sandoval said, he began incorporating tech lessons. He divides students into multiple groups focused on the break system, the engine and the safety and interior workings of a car.

“If I am excited, they will get excited,” Sandoval said on why he decided to bring his passion for racing into the classroom. “Being able to talk about something that I am really passionate about, that I hadn’t done in the past, made it really fun.”

Once state testing concludes this year, Sandoval’s students plan to race mousetrap cars they built. When he assigned the project, Sandoval’s only requirement was “just to make it go.” But the students got creative.

“I had two kids who were able to turn it into a four-wheel drive system instead of a two- or three-wheel system,” Sandoval said, his face beaming with pride. “That’s what we want to see; we want to see them take things to another level and to start thinking critically.”

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises teacher Matthew Smith at Red Hill Lutheran School in Tustin, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Smith was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Staff at Red Hill Lutheran School take a photo with teacher Matthew Smith on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Smith was one of six named Orange County Teacher or the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Matthew Smith

Red Hill Lutheran School

Eighth-grader Brogan Driscoll has attended every one of Smith’s after-school, late-evening Zoom assessment reviews, a holdover from the COVID era.

“They are so useful,” Driscoll said. “It establishes the foundation for all our tests and quizzes.”

Together with his algebra classmates, Driscoll clapped loudly as Smith accepted his Teacher of the Year award while some students yelled: “That’s my teacher!”

Smith, the first private school teacher to win the award, is the sort of educator who if he sees a need, works to address it.

Seven years ago, noticing all the neighborhood schools had a robotics program, Smith approached his principal about launching a dedicated middle school robotics program. Once he got the green light, he designed the school robotics lab, pursued the requisite certification and now, six years later, is at the helm of the thriving program, a sought-after elective at Red Hill Lutheran.

Smith also started an orientation program for new families and students in middle school, designing a parents’ night, planning a summer “playdate” for new and returning students, organizing a luncheon and creating a buddy system for students.

His role as a teacher goes beyond school hours. He is a regular at his students’ sporting events, dance recitals, family members’ funerals, musicals and graduations. By showing up, he is indicating to his students “that their relationships, interests and passions outside of the classroom are important to me,” he said in his award application.

Carrie Smith, Matthew Smith’s wife, said they recently took their kids to see one of his students perform in a production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

And the family might soon be headed to Italy with the money Smith was awarded Thursday. The Smiths had previously put off a family vacation to Europe because of the high costs, but now the holiday might be back on the table for the summer.

Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Deputy Superintendent with the Orange County Department of Education, surprises teacher Leslie Whitaker at Esencia K-8 in Mission Viejo, CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Whitaker was one of six Orange County Teachers of the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Teacher Leslie Whitaker takes a photo with her students after being named one of six teachers of the year by the Orange County Department of Education on Thursday, April 27, 2023. She teaches at Esencia K-8 in Mission Viejo, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Teacher Leslie Whitaker takes a photo with family after being named one of six teachers of the year by the Orange County Department of Education on Thursday, April 27, 2023. She teaches at Esencia K-8 in Mission Viejo, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Leslie Whitaker

Esencia K-8, Capistrano Unified School District

In Whitaker’s classroom, just like in her life, music plays an important role.

Instrumental music plays for the first 25-30 minutes of the day in Whitaker’s classroom. During this time, she works with students one-on-one or in small groups to develop their reading or math skills. Then they sing a good morning song, an homage to “Singing in the Rain.”

Music is also incorporated in transitions between subjects or to illustrate key points during a lesson. And her class ends each day with a song to highlight scholarly behaviors.

“Singing brings joy, instrumental music brings peace, songs about content provide access and when we sing together, music facilitates a sense of belongingness,” Whitaker said.

And when she goes home for the day, she is always singing or playing on her grand piano, her husband Chris Whitaker said.

Leslie Whitaker was surprised by her husband and family Thursday morning. Her older sister, Marni Fisher, said the family came from all over Southern California to surprise her with the announcement because Leslie Whitaker is “everyone’s favorite.”

“Everyone loved her; everyone wanted to share a room with her,” Fisher said of her sister when they were growing up. “She was really good at keeping the peace.”

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