Five San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ teachers have been recognized as regional Teachers of the Year.

The teachers, who represent special education, alternative education and state preschool programs, were recognized during a ceremony hosted by the County Board of Education in June.

“I am so proud to be able to recognize the outstanding contributions these teachers make on a daily basis in their work with students in our County Schools’ classrooms,” County Superintendent Ted Alejandre said. “Their commitment to their students and dedication to learning in our classrooms is inspiring and uplifting.”

This year’s County Schools’ teachers of the year, the programs/regions they represent and their school sites are:

• Sherril D’Espyne, Desert/Mountain special education, Sitting Bull Academy in Apple Valley;
• Rosie Gonzalez, state preschool, Marshall State Preschool in Chino;
• Cheryl Hines, alternative education, Bob Murphy County Community School in Rialto;
• Annie Rausch, West End special education, Eagle Canyon Elementary in Chino Hills;
• Amy Schodt, East Valley special education, Colton High School.

Among the five teachers, D’Espyne was chosen as County Schools’ Teacher of the Year for Student Services. She will represent County Schools in the countywide Teacher of the Year competition later this year.

Following are biographies of each of this year’s honorees:

D’Espyne has been teaching with County Schools for 14 years and works with moderate/severe students at Sitting Bull Academy. She aims to create an environment for students that is happy, fun and natural. She said that communication between school and home is a key to the development of her students. She has started a web-based program, the Online Behavior Tracking Program, which tracks behavioral data with the flexibility to quickly input data from cell phones, iPads or desktops computers. D’Espyne and her teaching team can analyze the data and use the information to identify and address student behavior issues.

This is the second award for Gonzalez as State Preschool Teacher of the Year, previously earning the recognition in 2014. As a teacher at Marshall State Preschool, Gonzalez has shown collaboration with her co-teachers by sharing her knowledge of computer skills and expertise with the Footsteps2Brilliance early literacy program. She also provides one-on-one training for parents on how to help their children develop using Footsteps2Brilliance. She says she would like to see state preschool services available to all children that are age eligible since it provides so many benefits from resources that can be made available to families.

With 11 years of teaching experience with County Schools, Hines works with at-risk middle and high school students at Bob Murphy County Community School. As a lead teacher, she provides leadership and curriculum support to teachers at her school site. Principal George Bowser says that Hines is student-centered, compassionate and has true empathy for students. Hines has learned that to be successful with a challenging student population, she has to address their immediate needs first, which can mean providing a meal, meeting with a counselor or being able to listen to students’ concerns.

Rausch teaches children with moderate/severe disabilities at Eagle Canyon Elementary. She says it is an “honor and privilege” to work with her students every day at school. She adds that seeing a child grow independent and helping to instill life-long tools is a daily challenge that brings her pride and confidence as her students build skills that will allow them to be productive adults in their communities. Rausch says she is passionate about the preparation that is needed to provide instruction and learning opportunities for her students to succeed.

Schodt is a special education teacher with 17 years of teaching experience. She began her career with County Schools as an educational assistant and now works in a special needs class at Colton High. She says she treats her students as young adults to “make them independent” by taking them on outings to learn functional skills, such as going to the post office, knowing where the police department is, teaching them how to ride on public transportation, going to buy groceries and learning the value of money. Schodt says she enjoys going into the community with her students to show the public what her students can do and accomplish.