Twelve teachers from Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley were recognized by the Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego on Friday, Dec. 15, in the organization’s first Education Excellence Award Ceremony.
The organization received more than 60 teacher nominations from about 250 students at Canyon Crest, according to an event news release. The high school serves the southern portions of the San Dieguito Union High School District.
The Education Excellence Award program, held at Pacific Social restaurant in Pacific Highlands Ranch, was launched by the Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego to recognize the achievements of high-performing teachers, the organization stated in its announcement.
“Raising children and preparing them for adulthood is a demanding task,” organization chair Hong Wu said in the news release. “Getting a good education is a big part of that process, and it is especially helpful when excellent teachers inspire our students to achieve their best. The Education Excellence Award is meant to acknowledge the invaluable contributions that good teachers make to so many lives.”
The 12 award-winners are:
Sarah Aguilar (Social Science)
Katelin Butcher (World Language)
Sharon Dasho (English)
Chungching Kao (World Language)
Ms. Chiara Luna (Math)
Amanda Melkonian (Social Science)
Jinsig Min (Math)
Stuart Pollock (Social Science)
Kristin Sevilla (Science)
Kaveh Shakeri (Science)
Brian Shay (Math)
Alex Siegel (Science)
Parent Allison Luo, a physician and biopharmaceutical executive, noted the influence one of the award-winning teachers had on her daughter.
“My support for this award was a result of personal experience with our daughter,” Luo said in the organization’s news release. “She was a bit lost about what to do with her life, until she took Mr. Pollard’s business class. He had such a profound impact on her that she is now a freshman at UCSB, majoring in economics and accounting. Inspirational high school teachers are part of the lifeblood of our society.”
The Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego is a nonprofit organization that was created to encourage Asian-American community participation in San Diego County K-12 schools and higher education.
