Special Olympics Northern California (SONC) is proud to honor eight teachers who have gone above and beyond for their students and have encouraged an environment of inclusion and acceptance throughout their respective school communities.The selected teachers were nominated by Schools Partnership Program coordinators for the fall season. SONC recognizes the contributions of partnering special education, adapted physical education (APE) and other teachers and administrators for their outstanding efforts in impacting the lives of students with intellectual disabilities.
The honored teachers include:
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Ms. Kelly Perkins
Ygnacio Valley High School
Ms. Perkins is a Special Education Teacher at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord and has been involved with Special Olympics for more than 20 years. Recognizing that the school was short-staffed for the fall’s soccer event, Ms. Perkins jumped in to take on a variety of roles and was a major factor in an ultimately successful competition. She contacted the administration to get them on board, helped recruit volunteers, organized custodial staff regarding day-of needs and assisted with numerous other responsibilities. Ms. Perkins is passionate about showcasing the abilities of her students and bringing them together with their peers in general education classes. She believes that, in bringing the two populations together, it helps the students in general education learn about differences and understand the obstacles that her students go through every day.
Thank you, Ms. Perkins!
TRI-VALLEY
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Ms. Anaite Letona
Alisal Elementary School
Ms. Letona is a Special Day Class Teacher at Alisal Elementary School in Pleasanton. Always first in line to register her students for Special Olympics events, Ms. Letona is enthusiastic and passionate about promoting sportsmanship and inclusion within the school population. She believes that Special Olympics programs allow her students an opportunity to shine and be themselves without fear of judgement by others. Her class looks forward to the events every year and she is excited to bring Special Olympics to more students in the future.
Thank you, Ms. Letona!
SANTA ROSA
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Mr. Marc Crivello
Montgomery High School
Mr. Crivello is a Special Education Aide at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa and has played a major role in supporting Special Olympics events in the area for years. Santa Rosa’s schools soccer competition was initially postponed due to the devastating wildfires that tore through the region in October. Mr. Crivello worked tirelessly to recruit student volunteers and handle things on the school side so that Special Olympics and related staff could coordinate with Epicenter, the host site of the competition, to reschedule the event. His work paid off, as the competition was hosted in early December and provided a lot of excitement – and a returned sense of normalcy – to the students involved.
Thank you, Mr. Crivello!
FRESNO COUNTY
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Mr. Troy Brown
Fresno Unified School District
Mr. Brown is an Adaptive P.E. Teacher for the Fresno Unified School District and was instrumental in bringing Unified Sports to his district. Mr. Brown began the implementation of Unified Sports last spring and has devoted countless hours to working with schools, administrators and other parties to ensure successful events. He coordinates transportation, equipment, schedules and more and is passionate about using sports to encourage inclusion and respect among students of all abilities. In addition to Unified Sports, Mr. Brown is charged with organizing the annual elementary school basketball competition within the Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program.
Thank you, Mr. Brown!
WEST CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Ms. Myrna Hadjirul
DeAnza High School
Ms. Hadjirul is a Special Education Teacher at DeAnza High School within the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Ms. Hadjirul has been excited to expand the presence of Special Olympics in her school and organized a partnership with the campus ROTC program to serve as Unified Partners for the student-athletes. She already has plans to host an event in April and has worked to get the principal and entire special education department on board.
Thank you, Ms. Hadjirul!
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN
Mr. Chris Bryan
Fairfield High School
Mr. Bryan is a P.E. Teacher for Fairfield High School who has gone above and beyond to bring an attitude of inclusion and respect to the school’s campus. Described as a positive role model and as having a passion for Special Olympics, Mr. Bryan creates assignments and activities for his students in general education to engage and support their classmates in special education classes. He integrates students in Adaptive P.E. with his class, brings his students to cheer on Special Olympics events, and develops lesson plans and campaigns to increase awareness for students with intellectual disabilities. Leading by example, Mr. Bryan is a leader of change that has an impact felt throughout the population.
Thank you, Mr. Bryan!
SAN MATEO COUNTY
Mr. Nick Boldrey
Sequoia High School
Mr. Boldrey is a Special Education Teacher for the Sequoia Union High School District and is described as having a positive impact on the lives of his students. Mr. Boldrey was instrumental in organizing the district’s Special Olympics basketball competition, Super Stars Day and the soccer competition in 2017. He believes that Special Olympics provides students with an opportunity to compete with their peers and showcase their abilities to the campus at large.
Thank you, Mr. Boldrey!
VACAVILLE
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Ms. Randi Fien
Browns Valley Elementary School
Ms. Fien teaches the TK-2 functional academics class at Browns Valley Elementary School and is passionate about providing opportunities for students of all abilities to succeed. She coordinated new activities for her class and encouraged interaction between students in special education and general education curriculums. Described as going above and beyond for her students, Ms. Fien “recognizes and honors her students as unique learners and strives to create lessons that allow students to meet their potential.”
Thank you, Ms. Fien!