Special Olympics Northern California (SONC) is proud to honor three 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 spring 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. Katherine Walton
Acalanes High School
Ms. Walton is a Special Education Teacher at Acalanes High School who played an instrumental role in the success of this spring’s Contra Costa County School Games.
Described as an outgoing and engaging teacher with a passion for her students, Ms. Walton believes that the Schools Partnership Program is an impactful way to blend her roles on campus and help bring everyone together. She was a key force in planning, preparing and executing the Contra Costa County School Games, which featured 55 classes coming together for two days of competitions and events. Ms. Walton’s students view her as a “great role model and leader to look up to” and she was recently named the Acalanes Unified School District Teacher of the Year!
Thank you, Ms. Walton!
CAMPBELL UNION
Mr. Chris Bolt
Rolling Hills Middle School
Mr. Bolt is an Adaptive Physical Education (APE) Teacher at Rolling Hills Middle School (Los Gatos) who has made a significant impact on students with and without intellectual disabilities.
Along with teaching three general education PE classes and providing APE services to more than a dozen students daily, Mr. Bolt has coordinated all five Special Olympics events within the Campbell Union School District. He recently played a lead role in developing the district’s Special Olympics track and field event: planning a rotation of activities for 14 classes, organizing logistics and even spending his weekends painting lines on the field.
Mr. Bolt describes being involved with Special Olympics as the most rewarding part of his job and says that interacting with the athletes is the highlight of his day.
Thank you, Mr. Bolt!
FRESNO
Mr. John Eagan
Rio Vista Middle School
Mr. Eagan is a Teacher at Rio Vista Middle School in Fresno who organized three Special Olympics events during the past school year.
He was the driving force in hosting a middle/elementary soccer event in the fall, a middle school Unified Basketball event in the winter, and a middle school softball event this spring. Mr. Eagan has gone above and beyond to ensure the best experiences during these events, working with local businesses to donate lunches and coordinating with student volunteer groups for enthusiastic volunteers.
Thank you, Mr. Eagan!