Lewis Design Build Remodel (LDBR) is proud to present our 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award winners.
If you are interested in nominating a teacher you think is deserving of the award, please review the nomination page for guidelines and nomination criteria.
The days are warmer, spring is in full-bloom, and it is the perfect time to honor yet another outstanding community educator. Congratulation to Ms. Leila! Here is what your nominator had to say:
"Our daughter cries over the weekend because she wants to see Ms. Leila every day. She is an exceptional person and treats all kids with respect and love. She is the person who shows up at your kid’s soccer game over the weekend. Always has a smile on her face, and shares her beautiful voice and talent with the kids and teaches them 10+ songs during a school year. (No dry eyes in the room when she sings with the class.) Her classroom is always a calm island where everyone feels safe. I nominate her, because She deserves extra love and appreciation."
For the first time, the Lewis Design Build Remodel 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award is honoring an amazing educator from Baymont Christian School. Congratulations to Mrs. Matson!
"Mrs. Matson is an exceptional middle school math teacher who consistently goes above and beyond to support her students. With unwavering dedication, she creates a fun and positive learning environment where every student feels valued and empowered to succeed. She offers personalized instruction to ensure students understand concepts and grow in their confidence as they learn. Her ability to connect with her students, along with incorporating hands-on activities and real-world applications, make math engaging and accessible for all learners. Mrs. Matson fosters confidence in her students, encouraging them to tackle challenges with resilience. Her passion, patience and commitment to student growth make her a truly deserving nominee for this recognition!"
February is nearly over, but there is always time to recognize our outstanding community educators. Congratulations to Mrs. McLaughlin of Brook Knoll. Your exceptional commitment to education excellence netted you three nominations! Check out what your nominators had to say!
"Ms Mac… to the kids… stepped up to teach a 5th grade class the week before school started. She was ready, welcoming and happy to be with the students.
She is simply amazing in all aspects of teaching. She is engaging with her lessons whether shes adding some baking/cooking… running the reward store… and even running with the students during mileage club. To say the students are thriving is an understatement… my
Brook Knoll is very lucky to have her."
"Happy teacher = Happy students . Ms. McLaughlin always brings laughter and happiness to her classroom. We need more educators like her to have a better world for our kids."
"Mrs. Mac is the kindest, and sweetest teacher. Her 5th grade students are engaged and pay attention in her class because they love and respect her. She makes each student feel welcome and part of the whole class. When my kid is having a bad day, Mrs. Mac is always there to lend an ear and lifts her spirits up. She treats her students like family and it shows. We are so grateful to have her as a teacher this year at Brook Knoll Elementary!"
January is almost over, and the new year is flying by! We can't think of a better way to round off the first month of 2025 than with another 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award recipient. Congratulations to Mr. Magliato on your nomination and your last year teaching! Here's what your nominator said:
"My son has always struggled in English to the point that it paralyzes him. Well, that has changed this year. For the first time, my son loves English and is doing AMAZING with guidance from Mr. Magliato. My son is now becoming a reader, and English is his favorite class. He can’t wait to turn in assignments and hear his feedback. This is huge! This is Magliato’s last year teaching. He will be missed!
Mr. Magliato is tough, but he sets the kids up and prepares them for high school and college. He has excellent structure, and the kids thrive under his leadership."
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December is a magical time. Children are out of school on holiday break, and families spend time together reflecting on the year behind, and the year ahead. While we enjoy our holiday, we also want to reflect on another amazing community educator. Congratulations to Nicole! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"I’ve never worked with a more dedicated, hard working and caring teacher. Nicole is so inclusive to all her students and creates a true community in her classroom. We are SO lucky to have her at Brook Knoll."
November is the month most synonymous with being thankful. This month we continue to be thankful for our amazing community educators by honoring another 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award recipient. Congratulations to Mrs. Neall! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"My daughter would like to nominate Mrs. Neall because she is fun and keeps students engaged and learning, but everyone is still having a great time. Mrs. Neall goes above and beyond to make learning fun."
A new school year has begun! We thought we would kick this year off with a new entry to the 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award. Congratulations to Mrs. Ponos! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Mrs Ponos has been a great teacher to my Kindergartner! My child has already learned so much and she is so excited to tell me all about her day every day!! Kudos to Mrs. Ponos"
We have reached the end of the 2024 school year, and as we celebrate students graduating, and the excitement of turning towards the next year, we also want to celebrate one last community educator. Congratulations to Mrs. Shulman! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Mrs. Shulman is the kindest and most patient teacher. She is organized and thorough in her classroom, and her students are always eager to learn. Our son has thrived with her, and we will greatly miss her as our teacher next year."
Spring has sprung! With it, another wonderful community educator to shine a light on. Congrats to Ms. Gelter! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Ms. Gelter is the special day class teacher at Brook Knoll. She's taken so much time and care with our son, helping to problem solve all the challenges we have encountered during the school year. She's even taken time during her weekends to make sure her students are set up to succeed. She has such a heart for all her students, even those not in her class. When you talk with other parents you hear countless stories of her bending backwards and how she's a voice to those with special needs."
Spring is right around the corner, and with it comes warm weather and plenty of sunshine. We'd like to take a minute to shine some of the light onto our February 'U Nailed It' winner. Congrats to Ms. Stenros! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Andy is an incredible educator who goes above and beyond to support her students. She is an excellent communicator and partner with families and supports her students in becoming more independent. You will often find her after school supporting kids with an after-school club or activity—she’s even hosted 90+ 8th graders in a Sunday study session. It is obvious she cares deeply about her students, her colleagues and SVMS. We are so fortunate to have a teacher like Ms. Stenros."
2024 is here! We hope everyone had an enjoyable start to their new year. We're kicking our new year off with a brand new 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award. Congratulations to Ms. Baker. Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Ms. Baker helped transform our daughter's appreciation for history - it was incredible to see her curiosity grow as well as her ability to connect the past with present day issues. Ms. Baker teaches Honors World History 2 and IB History of the Americas. Prior to our daughter taking Honors World History 2, she showed very little interest in History as Math and Science were her preferred areas of study. But right after the school year began, she demonstrated an incredible interest in history. Ms. Baker helped her improve her writing skills as well as her critical thinking skills. She helped bring history to life through dynamic lectures, group projects and thought-provoking readings. Please recognize Ms. Baker for her outstanding teaching and ability to help students learn from the past so we won't make the same mistakes in our collective future. "
As 2023 draws to a close, and we look toward 2024, we need to take a moment to celebrate one final community educator this year. For December our featured educator is Mrs. Sattari! Congratulations! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Mrs. Sattari is the creator of “cub club”. Cub club is our reading and math intervention program which has now been branded to have more of a fun feel so students feel like they are VIPs attending intervention time versus being singled out and removed from the traditional classroom. Mrs. Sattari works tirelessly to create an equitable learning environment where students shine instead of focusing on their struggles. It’s an honor to work beside her with these students."
The Lewis Design Build Remodel 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award is back for its third year! As November is the month most synonymous with being thankful, we can't help ourselves but be thankful for all our stellar community educators! This month's nominee is Mrs. Avila White! Congratulations! Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Mrs. Avila White started teaching because she didn't want students to go through what she went through in school when she was growing up. She said school was difficult for her, so she understood the struggles that the students go through. She teaches a 4/5 combo class. She has a very calm, patient, warm and welcoming demeanor. This may be her last year teaching, and I truly believe she deserves to be recognized."
The school year is drawing to a close yet again. Students are zipping up their backpacks for the final few times, as the stress of final exams is washing away. Teachers prepare final grades and begin to wind down for the summer. It's time for one final nomination for the 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award. Congratulations to Mr. Igoe, here is what your nominee had to say:
"I am nominating Mike Igoe who teaches 3rd grade at Brook Knoll. I truly believe he was born to be a teacher. He gets kids. His students excel in math. He also believes in the arts and frequently plays his ukulele in class and teaches the kids old time classic songs. He gets the kids up and moving which is so important for their well being and focus. He's the teacher that all kids want to have and we are so very blessed to have him this year "
Spring has sprung, and with it another exceptional community educator to showcase. Congratulations to Mrs. Smart. Here's what your nominee had to say:
"Mrs. Smart makes school and learning a joy for all of her students. She takes the time to build relationships and gets to know her students to help them in the ways that work best for them. She has made this school year a true joy for our children ! They have excelled in learning and happy to be at school because of her!"
As Spring draws in closer, we thought it might be time to celebrate another community educator with their passion for teaching in full bloom! Congratulations to Mr. Leshin of Scott's Valley Middle School. Here's what the nominee had to say:
"Mr. Leshin is a 7th-grade art & history teacher at SVMS who teaches with passion and compassion for his students. He takes a variety of means ( art projects, science, multi-media, etc.) to incorporate different options into his daily lessons helping to ensure his students succeed, rather than just lecture, homework, and tests! Marty is a dolphin through and through and was a superstar baller during the annual Jam in January students vs SVMS staff basketball game!"
After a challenging start to 2023, we thought it would be the right time to recognize another amazing community educator among us. Congrats to Mr. Ryan for being a fantastic example to kids, and a great counselor. Here's what the nominee had to say:
"'Mr. Ryan' as the kids call him is the counselor at Brook Knoll. He is kind, patient and very hard working. The kids absolutely adore him. He has served as a substitute teacher this year and is always willing to fill in where he is needed. He teaches our kids kindness and compassion. He also plays a mean saxophone!"
We're starting the year off on the right foot, with our first 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award Recipient. Be sure to check back to this page often as we continue to recognize community educators throughout 2023. Below is what the nominee had to say about Mr. Wyner.
"Not only is Mr. Wyner an outstanding Math teacher at SVHS, he also serves as advisor to the phenomenal SVHS Haunted House. My daughter is a student in Mr. Wyner's Math 2 class. He also teaches Math Academy and IB Math. He presents information clearly and meets students where they are at academically and developmentally. Mr. Wyner sends parents a personalized email prior to a unit test showing if your individual student has any outstanding assignments as well as their actual quiz scores. He also shares resources for test preparation. This is so helpful to ensure your student is on track. And in addition to being a full-time teacher, Mr. Wyner advises the SVHS Haunted House which is such an incredible event that brings our community together. He is on campus evenings and weekends to assist the students with this massive undertaking and helps those students in leadership roles to develop their planning and communication skills. This event also raises thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mr. Wyner's dedication to teaching and SVHS students is remarkable and reflects the very best of Scotts Valley. "
As 2022 comes to a close, we want to round off the year with recognizing another amazing community educator. Thank you to Ms. Cruz for being an outstanding member of our education system! Here's what the nominee had to say:
"Ms. Cruz is a fourth-grade teacher at Vine Hill. She inspires students to have a life-long desire to learn. Her lessons are engaging, relevant, and thoughtful. She is also a huge advocate for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color.) students and students with disabilities and learning challenges. Our daughter has had the best year of her life with Ms. Cruz as her teacher. She always goes above and beyond to help ensure her students are kind, compassionate community members."
The LDBR 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award is back! We are grateful to be able to continue to award amazing community educators this school year. We start off with a big congratulations to Mrs. Jacobs of Brook Knoll Elementary School. Here's what her nominee had to say:
"Lisa Jacobs, the reading support specialist at Brook Knoll, has long done a heroic job offering one-on-one and small group support on campus to students who are struggling with reading. However, during the pandemic, Mrs. Jacobs did a truly heroic job, offering in-person support throughout the school year to students struggling with reading, even though her own property was damaged by the fires. While we have moved from Brook Knoll this school year, I believe Mrs. Jacobs' work deserves recognition."
As the school year draws to a close, we are thankful to be able to award the 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award to another deserving member of our education community. Congratulations to Mrs. Hannaleck, here's what the nominee had to say:
"Mrs. Hannaleck shows compassion, empathy, and kind leadership skills to all of her pre-K students. All of her actions really reflect how much she cares about her students and loves what she does on a daily basis. She’s truly helping to mold our students into living, caring, kind and responsible youth of tomorrow."
Congratulations to Mr. Sampson of Scotts Valley Middle School on his 30th year of teaching! Your outstanding commitment to the education of young minds is truly inspirational and deserving of the 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award. Below is what the nominee had to say about Mr. Sampson:
"Mr. Sampson was one of my daughter's teachers while attending SVMS. He is very comical, thorough and always keeps his students engaged with fun assignments in his Spanish class. He strives to get to know each student so he can understand their needs and build their self-confidence while learning a new language. His class really prepared her for Spanish 2 freshman year. Mucho Gracias, Señor Sampson - we appreciate you!"
We are another month into 2022, and the community continues to give praise to those in our local teaching community. Congratulations to Mrs. Losada! Well earned.
Mrs. Losada is a new kindergarten teacher at Vine Hill. Despite the challenges we’ve all faced with returning to campus full time, she has risen above and beyond with patience, compassion, and her ability to foster a nurturing environment for her class of children, many of whom have never left their parents due to the pandemic. Vine Hill is extremely lucky to have her!
We are starting off the new year on the right foot! We have our first 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award recipient. Congratulations to Ms. Clark. Your passion is inspiring!
"Our beloved music teacher of 20 plus years has inspired both students and teachers to indulge in the beauty, science, and fun of music! She has given herself passionately to providing both Brook Knoll and Vine Hill Elementary with a rich and CA Standards-based music curriculum. I proudly nominate Ms. Clark for this award and I know if you were to ask the classroom teachers they would agree!"
December was a crazy month for everyone. With the shorter month due to the holiday break, we are finally able to announce the December "U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award! Congratulations to Ms. Fisher of Scotts Valley High School! Well deserved!
"Ms. Fisher treats everyone in her class as a big family. She is extremely supportive, caring, and understanding. When she senses a student is stressed, she works with them to calm their nerves and works with each student to make sure they enjoy her class. Whether she is teaching history or planning student activities she always has a smile on her face. Ms. Fisher is someone that students always feel comfortable going to when they need help, or even just someone to talk to. I have never met a teacher who is so interactive, caring, and understanding with her students as Ms. Fisher."
The month of November is a time to celebrate all that we are thankful for. Lewis Design Build Remodel is thankful to our community for another amazing nomination! Congratulations to Mrs. Weiss of Vine Hill Elementary. Below is what the nominee had to say about Mrs. Weiss:
“Mrs. Weiss always goes above and beyond to make sure all of her students feel comfortable. At times, she has taken time out of her own lunch break to sit with children who have needed extra attention. She’s also helped to connect parents with additional resources for kids who need a little more guidance. Mrs. Weiss makes sure at all times her students feel safe and comfortable, and that is especially needed after the past year we have had.”
The month of October brings our second winner of the 'U Nailed It' Teacher of the Month Award. Congratulations to Mrs. Dyc-O'Neal of Brook Knoll. Below is what the nominee had to say about Mrs. Dyc-O'Neal:
"Passion, kindness, energy, commitment … Mrs. Dyc-O’Neal is all of that. Most importantly, her kids, our kids are learning with enthusiasm."
The community has chosen! We have our very first winner. Congratulations to Mr. Axelsson of Scott's Valley High School. Below is what the nominee had to say about Mr. Axelsson:
"Mr. Axelsson is a Directed Studies teacher at SVHS. He goes above and beyond to care for “his” kids and make sure they are all on track and striving to the best of their set of abilities. He is always there to greet the kids with a friendly smile and knows each individual and their strengths and views weaknesses as just something to improve upon. He’s made a massive difference in our student’s school life & we are very thankful!"
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