Creative, passionate, dedicated are the words most often used to describe Mieke Delwiche, Laguna Blanca’s kindergarten instructor and 2020 Faculty Excellence Award winner. Since 2009, Delwiche has ushered in scores of youngsters to Laguna while opening their hearts and minds to a love of learning.
The Laguna Blanca School Faculty Excellence Award recognizes recipients — nominated by their peers — for their demonstrated excellence in teaching and dedication to the school and its students. Thanks to an endowment from alumni parents Steven and Marilyn Gutsche, recipients receive a cash award and a $3,000 stipend for travel, workshops, equipment, and teaching materials.
Always holding herself to the highest expectations, Delwiche has the ability to offer an integrated, thematic curriculum that balances rigor with engagement. “Through a range of activities that spark wonder, she encourages her students to explore, inquire and imagine,” said colleague and second-grade instructor Lisa Vance.
Perhaps the most rewarding praise comes from first-grade instructor Elyse Vanetti, who refers to herself as the lucky recipient of students taught by Delwiche. “Mieke’s students enter my classroom with a strong foundation in reading, writing, and mathematical skills,” Vanetti said. “They are already reading, which is not the norm for beginning first-graders.”
The reading skills students learn in Delwiche’s class foster independence and confidence in other subjects, preparing them to read directions and gather information on various subjects more independently.
The success of Delwiche’s students speaks to her creative and engaging teaching styles. She is known on campus as the “master of differentiation,” making lessons accessible for all. Gifted in identifying what each student needs in a lesson, she creates activities tailored to those individual needs.
According to her colleagues, it’s not unusual to walk into Delwiche’s classroom and find six differentiated centers where students are working interactively on concepts with the support they need to stretch their learning.
The extra care and attention Delwiche puts into her classroom space provides an immersive environment for young learners. For instance, during the dinosaur unit, students can expect to find giant T-Rex footprints to measure, dinosaur digs, as well as art and multimedia projects that support their dinosaur research.
Always community-minded, Delwiche said she is most proud of the programs she has helped to build with her colleagues, from Read Every Day! and Swooper Citizens, a character education curriculum for kindergarten and first grade, to the STEM unit integrating Newton’s Laws of Motion using the Magna Wall.
In addition to guiding her kindergartners, Delwiche is a natural leader and is highly regarded by her peers for her nearly 20 years of teaching expertise. This was especially apparent this year when Laguna made the quick shift to remote learning in March. Her leadership as a certified Seesaw Ambassador was instrumental in keeping the learning going without interruption.
She became the go-to person for many as she continued to share and implement technology tips and tutorials that eased the minds of staff members and families as they moved to successful online learning.
Kindergarten is a special milestone year, for children and parents. As an expert blogger and vlogger, Delwiche keeps parents informed about what’s happening in the classroom. Parents can regularly see their kindergartener in action with her daily blog posts. This strong parent-teacher connection is important and appreciated by Delwiches’ kindergarten parents.
“As parents, we felt fully confident and grateful with our son’s transition to elementary school, knowing he would have Mrs. Delwiche as a teacher,” said former kindergarten parent and educator Jamie Lopes. “Mrs. Delwiche’s teaching reflects a balanced, whole-child approach — with value placed on play, creativity, sensory learning, kindness, and social/emotional growth.
“She also provides a rich language environment, opportunities for critical thinking, cooking, and physical health — all in a bright, caring, and joyful environment. She listens, thoughtfully responds, and devotes and models a strong work ethic towards students and parents.
“We are not surprised one bit that she has received the Faculty Excellence Award, as she truly is an excellent educator who brings the magic to learning.”
Native to Carpinteria, Delwiche pursued a bilingual teaching credential at the University of San Diego before returning home and teaching for five years in a bilingual classroom at Canalino Elementary School. During that time, she earned her master’s in education from Cal Lutheran University with an emphasis in teaching reading.
Mieke and her husband John,have four children, and she has served as the kindergarten teacher for her three youngest children.
For information about Laguna Blanca’s programs, contact 805-687-2461 or visit lagunablanca.org.