The Del Mar Union School District has announced Torrey Hills School teacher Stephanie Cluxton as its Teacher of the Year. Additionally, all of the district’s health aide technicians were honored as classified employees of the year.
Cluxton teaches kindergarten at Torrey Hills and after 25 years as a teacher, she still gets excited when she sparks a student’s thinking. Her students too are excited to come to school every day, greeted by her warm and caring demeanor.
Stephanie Cluxton
(Courtesy)
According to the district, Cluxton is a gifted educator who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of her students. She excels at designing and implementing powerful lessons for her students. She also builds meaningful relationships with parents and helps them be an active part of their child’s education.
“Mrs. Cluxton’s classroom is inviting and alive with learning,” said Superintendent Holly McClurg in a news release. “She is a highly respected educator and a valued mentor and coach to her colleagues.”
The Del Mar Union School District’s seven health aide technicians were recognized as Classified Employees of the Year for their exceptional work, playing a critical role during the pandemic and keeping schools open.
Those honored include Susie Peterson (Ashley Falls), Lisa Kim (Sycamore Ridge), Debra Maldonado (Sage Canyon), Becky Young (Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Hills),Tracy Berger (Carmel Del Mar), Jaime Hernandez (Torrey Hills) and Sanjana Dhruv (Ocean Air and Del Mar Heights).
In a typical year, health aide technicians provide care and attention to students who have health needs. An entirely new level of needs surfaced with the pandemic. In addition to providing for the general health and safety of children, the pandemic required that they assist with symptom screening, contact tracing and providing guidance to parents and staff.
“These skilled health technicians attend to students’ health while also exercising excellent communication skills in order to support our students’ needs and make our learning environments inclusive and safe,” said McClurg in the news release. “I could not imagine navigating a pandemic without this incredible team of individuals. They kept the health of students and families at the forefront every step of the way.”
