13 L.A. County Teachers Honored

Thirteen educators from 11 school districts have won Teacher of the Year honors, the Los Angeles County Office of Education announced Friday.

Winners were chosen by their peers for their accomplishments and dedication. They will all compete in November for California Teacher of the Year.

The five finalists in the state contest will be considered for national honors, the county office said during ceremonies at the Hilton Universal City.

The honorees were:

Monte Eric Weiss, a sixth-grade teacher at the Bellflower Unified School District’s Williams Elementary School; Linda L. Strong, who teaches first and second grades at Bret Harte Elementary School in the Burbank Unified School District; and Alison Hunsaker, an instructor of eighth-grade language arts and reading at Castaic Middle School, Castaic Union School District;

Resource specialist Olivia Simpson Ellis at Oakmont Elementary in the Claremont Unified School District; Diana Ono, who has media center responsibilities and other duties at Rio San Gabriel Elementary School in the Downey Unified School District; and Kim Labinger, who teaches fourth grade at the Glendale Unified School District’s Edison Elementary;

Rebecca Valbuena, a third-grade teacher at Stanton Elementary in the Glendora Unified School District; Sheryl Sachs, who teaches fourth through sixth grades at Hudnall Elementary in the Inglewood Unified School District; Janice Kay Blackwill, who teaches third through fifth grades at Cresson Elementary in the Little Lake City School District; and Sylvia Padilla, who teaches kindergarten at Patrick Henry Elementary in the Long Beach Unified School District.

Three teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District also were among those honored: Stephen Franklin, who teaches social studies and leads student government at Sun Valley Middle School; Krista Lucas, who teaches third grade at the Crescent Heights Magnet School; and Cynthia Delameter, a third-grade teacher at Leland Street Elementary.