Cypress College geology professor honored as Orange County Teacher of the Year

This article was originally published in @Cypress online (PDF), the college’s online newspaper.

Geology Professor Victoria Castle is Orange County’s community college Teacher of the Year — one of five teachers across the county surprised in front of students on Monday with news of the honor.

The other four teachers are all in K-12 instruction.

Castle learned of the honor as a crew representing the Orange County Department of Education, the Disneyland Resort, Schools First Federal Credit Union and The Orange County Register climbed out of a school bus and descended on her classroom just before 10:30 on Monday morning.

“This is a tremendous honor for Vicki and for the SEM faculty,” [Cypress College President, Dr. Mike] Kasler and Academic Senate President Pat Ganer said in a joint statement. “Of course, it is also a validation of the work all of us do. Vicki mentioned the importance of her students;
in fact, she credited them as the reason she enjoys getting up and going to work every day. We are all very proud of Vicki! Great job!!!”

Orange County Superintendent of Schools William Habermehl made the announcement and then presided as representatives from sponsors Disneyland, Schools First, and the Register made presentations to Castle in front of her students

Also on hand were a number of representatives from the college, including NOCCCD Trustee Leonard Lahtinen, Executive Vice President Bob Simpson, Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Dean Richard Fee, and Academic Senate President Pat Ganer (among several others).

The group also included a film crew from PBS to document the surprise notifications.

Castle will be recognized in [a] formal ceremony at the Disneyland Resort in October, and will be the recipient of a $15,000 award for the honor, which is provided by the Dr. James Hines Foundation.

In March, Castle was selected by a student-organized committee as the Cypress College Teacher of the Year, placing her into nomination for
the county-wide award.

She is the fourth member of [the Cypress College] SEM division to receive this honor. Dorothy Stout from Geology received it in 1996, and Cheryl Gibby and Dave Petrie from Mathematics were honored in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

Castle came to Cypress College after working in the geology industry for a number of years — as a result, she brings to the classroom a wealth of experience that she can share with the students.

She left a lucrative position in order to bring her knowledge and experience to another generation of citizens as a teacher.

“Her passion for her discipline and her passion for education are conveyed by that decision,” Dr. Ganer said in a letter supporting Castle’s nomination. “Among the courses that Vicki teaches is one, Earth Science for Teachers, which demonstrates even further her commitment to encouraging others to pass on the significance of her field. Vicki Castle truly embodies all of the qualities we look for in teachers.”

Finalists for 2013 Teachers of the Year

Editor’s note: here is the list released by the Orange County Department of Education of the finalists for 2013 Teachers of the Year:

John Wood
Talbert Middle School
Fountain Valley School District
6th and 7th Grade Science Teacher
Deanna Zamiska
Peterson Elementary School
Huntington Beach City School District
3rd Grade Teacher
Victoria Castle
Cypress College
North Orange County Community College District
Geology Professor
David Goldenberg
Beckman High School
Tustin Unified School District
History Teacher
Jennifer Sandland
Peters Canyon Elementary School
Tustin Unified School District
3rd Grade Teacher