On Friday, April 19, Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Tim Hire surprised the three winners named in the 30th Annual Tulare County Excellence in Education Awards program. The three winners notified were Alexa Barba-Tepper (2024 Administrator/Manager of the Year), Kristy Caesar (2024 Teacher of the Year), and Lisa Kruger (2024 School Employee of the Year).
“The winners are all phenomenal educators, creatively addressing the needs of their students and the communities they serve,” Hire said.
In March, a selection committee of Tulare County business and education leaders met to review the nominees in each of the three categories. A total of 30 nominations were received this year from Tulare County school districts. Each nomination was reviewed and scored individually by every member of the selection committee.
Read more in the News Gallery Week.
Also in News Gallery Week:
TCSBA announces 2024 scholarship winners; Around the County: California Military Department opens state’s fifth STARBASE in Porterville
The Pleasant View (PV) Elementary School student leadership team is responsible for the school’s monthly CHARACTER COUNTS! (CC!) Store, CC! Pillar Raffle, communicating and running any activities for CC! Week, and doing skits and interviews for CC! assemblies held at the end of each month. Throughout the month, students can earn CC! tickets for displaying the Pillars of Character and receive tickets from teachers and support staff. At the end of the month, students visit the CC! Store and purchase a variety of fun, useful, and exciting items with their tickets.
Pleasant View teacher Tashima Irving said PV implements a “Culture of Pillar Character,” meaning students need to participate in and outside of the classroom in activities and tasks that promote positive character. She said, “We at PV have made it a priority to implement monthly activities for each pillar in the classroom. We allow students to earn CC! tickets for showing the character they are learning and hearing about, and reward students with awards and Pillar Packs (filled with goodies) for those that stand out amongst the rest."
