Tucson Values Teachers surprised five local educators this week with the Teacher Excellence Award. Teachers who received the Teacher Excellence Award this week include:
Vicki Pollock: 2nd grade teacher at Estes Elementary School in Marana Unified School District. Ms. Pollock was nominated by her student, Aspen Olivia Galvan. Ms. Pollock is a first-year teacher and will serve as the 2nd grade team lead and member of the leadership committee at Estes next year. She attended the University of Arizona and earned a BA in Elementary Education. Last year she received the Student Teacher of the Year Award from the U of A.
Rebecca Frericks: High school Spanish teacher at Empire High School in Vail Unified School District. Ms. Frericks was nominated by her student, Leah Hicks. Ms. Frericks is in her 13th year teaching; her last three years have been at Empire High.
In her nominating statement, Leah wrote: “Ms. Frericks is an amazing teacher. She is the nicest, kindest, funniest Spanish teacher I have had. She makes the class fun and exciting while making us learn. She is always willing to talk and is a very understanding teacher. But she is also able to establish boundaries which makes her an even better teacher cause she is able to balance it out. I love Ms Frericks so much!”
Alexa Rodriguez: Middle school teacher at Wrightson Ridge K-8 in Sahuarita Unified School District. Ms. Rodriguez was nominated by several of her students with the help of her colleague, Ms. Rebecca Oravec. Ms. Rodriguez is in her third year of teaching and her first at Wrightson Ridge. This year she is teaching pre-Algebra and Algebra I for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. In addition, Ms. Rodriguez is the on-site math tutor.
In her nominating statement, Rebecca wrote: “Ms. Rodriguez makes math fun – which is so hard to do in middle school. She is so thoughtful with students’ emotional loads, learning modalities, and supports. She offers after school tutoring for ANY middle school student – even if they are not in her classes. She goes above and beyond on our school campus, taking on extra responsibilities and helping anywhere needed. She is sure to go to all after school extra curriculars and evening events, from games to concerts to performances. Excellence all around!!”
Andrea Velazco: 2nd grade teacher at Dove Mountain CSTEM K-8 in Marana Unified School District (MUSD). Ms. Velazco was nominated by several of her students with the support of her colleague, Erin Geyer. Ms. Velazco has been teaching for 16 years, the past 12 years in MUSD. In addition to her 2nd grade class, she is also the gifted math accelerated teacher for first graders and serves on the school’s Student Study Team.
In the nominating statement, Erin wrote: “Mrs. Velazco is a hidden gem in our school who goes the extra mile to motivate staff, students, and parents through her enthusiasm, love of learning, and passionate personality. She is an intelligent and thoughtful individual with the highest possible character and work ethic. From the time you first enter Mrs. Velazco’s class until the time you leave the learning environment is highly engaging, hard-working, and fun-loving. Through her creative and innovative ways, she consistently finds new teaching methods to inspire her students and ensure they are learning to their full potential. Mrs. Velazco excels in teaching a diverse group of students while building a close-knit learning community where all can succeed. Mrs. Velazco is able to build a foundation in all subject areas so that a student who knows very little at the start of the year is able to walk away from 2nd grade fully prepared for 3rd grade. She does not rely on worksheets but instead goes above and beyond to create a curriculum that gets students fully invested in what they are learning. For example, she teaches science hands on by having students explore topics like erosion, how chemicals work, insulation, and inventions. Mrs. Velazco teaches her students to strive for excellence, love school, and respect one another. She creates an environment that feels like family; where everyone feels important and wanted.”
Martha Isiderio: 6th grade inclusion math and ELA teacher at Pistor Middle School in Tucson Unified School District. Ms. Isiderio was nominated by her student, Zoey Mendivil. She is in her 17th year teaching; she has been at Pistor since 2020. She is also the 6th grade IEP advocate and Exceptional Education Lead and serves as the Student Council Advisor and member of the Pistor Leadership Team. Ms. Isiderio hails from the Philippines and conducts trainings and seminars for teachers in the Philippines on how to implement inclusive education. She is currently pursing a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management.
In her nominating statement, Zoey wrote: “She is our student council advisor and teacher in ELA and Math. She is organizing events for all the students like Valentines party, honors assembly, growth for benchmark. Giving us awards if we have A and B in ELA and Math every end of quarter. She is helping us with our assigned works and be good, be respectful, be nice, be responsible. She is a role model.”
