More than 250 guests filled the Music Academy of the West on Saturday night to honor eight Santa Barbara County teachers; and true to form, the honorees left the audience with a lesson.
That lesson: Great teaching begins with relationships that help students feel seen, valued and free to be themselves.
The sold-out event, the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s 13th annual A Salute to Teachers, recognized three Distinguished New Educators in their first three years of teaching, three Distinguished Mentors, one Performing Arts Teacher and the Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. Video tributes from students and colleagues offered glimpses of the impact behind each award.
Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido noted that this year’s honorees cover a range of teaching experience and come from schools across the county.
The evening’s top honor went to Alejandra Navarro, a first-grade dual-language immersion teacher at El Camino School in the Goleta Union School District. Navarro has spent 19 years in the district: 12 at Kellogg School and seven at El Camino. She had already been named Teacher of the Year at her school and in her district, so the county award completed a triple crown.
Navarro wants her students to grow up proud of their heritage and proud of speaking two languages. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who taught her perseverance and the value of education. In her video tribute, she said she sees being bilingual as a superpower her students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
“Dual language immersion education is about so much more than learning two languages,” she told the audience. “It is about honoring students’ identities, celebrating their cultures, building confidence, and helping children recognize the incredible value of who they are.”
Navarro thanked her family, mentors, colleagues and supporters. “When I think about this journey, I am reminded that teaching has never been something we do alone. It is a collective effort built on the support, dedication, and love of the people who surround us.”
Three Distinguished Mentor Awards recognized veteran educators who guide teachers through their first years in the classroom. Ellen Barger, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the County Education Office, said mentorship means creating trust, safety and acceptance so new teachers have the courage to take on hard problems.
The evening would bring plenty of adjectives to describe the honorees, she said, but “adjectives don’t change lives; actions do.” What defines them is the daily choice to do what is difficult instead of what is comfortable, and the daily effort invested in someone else’s growth.
Becki Naranjo-Gonzales, a kindergarten teacher at Cold Spring School in Montecito, has spent more than 20 years in education. In her video tribute, a new teacher she mentored said Naranjo-Gonzales gave her a roadmap without telling her what she had to do, and that their mentorship grew into a friendship.
“It’s about relationships, the connections we make, and the ways we encourage and support one another,” Naranjo-Gonzales said of teaching.
She told the audience that on difficult days she sometimes finds a note from her family on her water bottle or in her lunch bag.
“They remind me just how much a little love and encouragement can mean to someone,” she said. “And that’s what I hope I give my students.”
Savannah Schindele teaches English language arts at Lompoc Valley Middle School, where she chairs the department and mentors new teachers. In a video tribute, a colleague recalled that her first year was overwhelming and that Schindele was there from the first week, always asking how she could help.
“The most important thing I teach is the ability to communicate,” Schindele said. “Regardless of what path students take, they need to be able to advocate for themselves and communicate effectively.”
Mentoring, she told the audience, doesn’t require having every answer.
“You don’t have to have it all figured out,” she said.
What matters is sharing what you’ve learned and reminding someone that the hard days are normal and they are not alone.
Billy Silvola teaches special education and math at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. He came to teaching mid-career after working with adults with developmental disabilities in job training programs, hoping to reach young people sooner.
Silvola said he keeps it real with students and builds everything on mutual respect.
“Without mutual respect, you can have the greatest lesson plans ever, and the teaching just won’t get in,” he said.
In his video tribute, a student recalled walking out of class during a hard time. Silvola found him and, instead of sending him back, suggested they take a walk and talk.
“He’s like Superman,” the student said. “He comes out of nowhere and helps you out.”
Silvola credited the mentors who guided him when he started teaching 22 years ago. “We’re only as good as those around us,” he said.
The evening also honored three teachers at the start of their careers. Introducing the Distinguished New Educator awards, John Merritt, who directs the County Education Office’s teacher induction program, asked the audience to imagine standing alone in front of thirty 12-year-olds, all waiting for instructions. The first years are demanding, he said, with long days that often stretch into weekends, holidays and summers.
Laurie Geronimo teaches math at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria, the campus she once attended. In her first year, she coached track and launched the school’s Panther Robotics program, which has won multiple awards in recent competitions.
In her video tribute, Geronimo said she wants students to see that someone who sat in their seats went off to college, earned a teaching credential and came back to their hometown. One of her students called her “a very good adult figure in my life.”
Accepting the award, she thanked her parents for their sacrifices and “the people of Santa Maria, from the heladeros selling ice cream from their carts to the hands that pick the strawberries we have been fortunate enough to eat.”
“I hope that, in my own way, I can give back to my community,” she said, by helping students believe in themselves the way so many people helped her believe in herself.
Wendy Marin, a second-grade teacher at Fairlawn Elementary School in Santa Maria, took 15 years to become a teacher while raising four sons and working through family challenges.
“I remember an instructor telling me you have two choices: persevere or quit,” she said. “Well, my mother didn’t raise a quitter.”
She became the first in her family to graduate from college and remembered seeing her mother’s dream come true that day.
As a child, Marin struggled with English and with finding her place.
“Today, I see myself in so many of my students,” she said.
As a Hispanic teacher of many bilingual learners, she shares their language and culture.
“Because I am able to understand them in that respect, we are able to grow together,” she said. When they talk about food and celebrations, “it’s like an aha moment for them.”
In her video tribute, Marin said none of her college classes taught her how to connect with students or help them feel safe. “It’s nothing that any book can teach you,” she said. “I think it’s a gift.”
One of her second-graders said Marin tells the class it’s OK to make mistakes, and that it helps him feel calm.
Stephanie Rosas, a special education teacher at Battles Elementary School in Santa Maria, has always been passionate about working with children with exceptionalities. Five years ago, the Santa Maria-Bonita School District saw potential in her and offered her an intern position as a special education teacher, a chance to pursue a lifelong dream.
“I believe in my students’ potential; I see that potential, and part of my job is helping other people to see that potential as well,” she said in her video tribute. She is known for her strong relationships with families, including many with nonverbal children who rely on her to know how their children are progressing.
Rosas thanked colleagues and administrators for supporting “my vision for a truly inclusive school environment,” where students of all abilities are valued.
Selyn Barrette Harwin, a drama teacher at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria, was named the 2027 Santa Barbara Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year. The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation has partnered with the County Education Office on the award for more than a decade.
Barrette Harwin said her rehearsals draw a diverse mix of students, “a collection of so many different energies on stage,” and that inspires others to jump in “because they don’t have to look or sound a certain way to find a home.”
“I think the arts are where students develop their character and their way of thinking,” she said, “and also an outlet for a lot of the challenges students face these days.” One student said in her video tribute, “A lot of who I am is because I was able to be in this program.”
Accepting the award, she dedicated it to her late father, whose lessons she said still guide her. Theater, she told the audience, is about “finding your voice, building confidence and community, and learning that your story matters.”
In her closing remarks, Salcido said the students’ tributes showed how deeply they see their teachers. Creating space for children to feel calm and be themselves, she said, “isn’t at all incidental to teaching and learning. It’s foundational to it.”
The celebration, emceed by Andrew Firestone, featured performances by the Music Academy’s Sing! youth chorus. Presenting sponsors included the Santa Barbara Bowl, Chevron, Driscoll’s, Melfred Borzall and Ramsey Asphalt Construction.
