The Mt. Diablo Unified School District announced that Mt. Diablo High School teachers Katalina Gallo and Natasha Paul have been selected as the two District Teachers of the Year for 2022-23.
They will both represent the district as nominees for the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year competition, which will announce its winners in September.
The pair were selected from five finalists that also included College Park High School teacher Laima Haider, Pine Hollow Middle School teacher Dr. Lizette Ortega Dolan and Bancroft Elementary School teacher Maria Sajjad. The finalists were selected from the more than 100 outstanding educators nominated throughout the district. The MDUSD School Board plans to recognize the District Teachers of the Year, finalists and nominees at its April 13 meeting.
Both Gallo and Paul said they were honored to be chosen to represent the district and their school, which they both graduated from themselves (Gallo in 2007 and Paul in 1991).
Gallo and Paul are two of approximately 20 other educators who will be named Teachers of the Year for their school districts. Each of them becomes a nominee for the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year program, which is coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education.
Four finalists will be announced in May.
The winners of the County Teacher of the Year program will be announced Sept. 22 in a ceremony at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, where all District Teachers of the Year will be honored.
2022-23 MDUSD Teacher of the Year finalists:
Katalina Gallo, Mt. Diablo High School
Natasha Paul, Mt. Diablo High School
Laima Haider, College Park High School
Dr. Lizette Ortega Dolan, Pine Hollow Middle School
Maria Sajjad, Bancroft Elementary School
Do these awardees and finalists fulfill the racial makeup of the MDUSD student body?
Were the criteria for awards and recognition lowered for people of color to recognize they are socially and economically disadvantaged?
Anything less would be unjust, right?
Worked with Natasha Paul, circa 2008. Great teacher. Mt Diablo is a challenging high school – so it is important to acknowledge the teachers who are willing to stick it out through the years.
The only thing these teachers deserve is scorn for collecting cash to sit home & keep our children out of the classroom. Just vile disgusting & wrong
Totally agree. If these are teachers that said nothing about supporting going back in person to their horrid union, then they are vile, disgusting, child-haters and certainly don’t deserve positive recognition.
Can someone give me a definition of “people of color”? Are you talking about artists and designers who use robust hues or people who wear vibrant colors? Help me out.
… what a joke…. they were the ones that threatened lawsuits? or?
I bet you are one who ignores science and instead supports vaccinating children with almost zero risk. And, yet, you call others morons. Lol. I mean, you support these child abusers. You obviously have no moral character.
BaltB: I looked up your birds aren’t real comment. That’s fun. I can use that later on the kids. Anyway, on the way home this morning I gave the local gas station guy $40 cash and when I was driving away saw the tank is only half full. That is real. Let’s go Brandon!
I hope these awards were based on merit, and if so, congratulations. There was a time when merit would not be questioned. Sadly, that time has passed.
First it was participation trophies, now in some cases people are selected for what they are as opposed to who they are. Kamala Harris is the poster person for this phenomenon.
Let’s get back to talent, innovation, and hard work. Those are the winners regardless of physical manifestation.