RAVE Winners 2020

Yasmir Navas, Special Education Teacher, Sanchez Elementary School - Distinguished Service Award Winner for October 2020

"Yasmir views every opportunity and challenge through the lens of student need. With the lens of a SpEd educator, she advocates in all settings (classrooms, staff meetings, assemblies, field trips) for accessibility and inclusion for ALL students.  Yasmir views every student in the school as her own student.  She opens her doors to students who need a break or a snack- students prefer her classroom because it is so warm, so friendly, so multi-sensory and so relationship-driven. Yasmir's tireless push for inclusion of her students in General Education settings both academically and socially makes Sanchez overall a better and more community-oriented place to be "-Nominated 1/2020

Kait Bowles, Social Worker, Clarendon Elementary School- Special Service Award Winner for October 2020

"We are fortunate to have such a thoughtful, hard-working leader helping us to build a supportive, thriving community. Since she has come to Clarendon, in addition to ensuring that all 500+ students have the resources they need in order to best learn and thrive -- as students and as human beings -- Kait has led a significant, unifying, schoolwide shift in culture using Social Emotional Learning. SEL is now integrated into nearly every facet of school life, and because of her work -- and gathering the support of others to ensure integration -- we are a stronger, better school. Kait has endless energy and is extremely student-centered. Her work keeps the needs of students at the core. She tirelessly spends her day working with students in social groups, 1:1 sessions, meeting with families, teachers, and the administration.  "-Nominated 2/2020

Corrina McGraw, Special Education Supervisor - Special Education Department - Distinguished Service Award Winner for September 2020

"My gut tells me that she's part human, part octopus. She's got her 8 hands in almost every stakeholder pot to ensure that support is given to the site, the family, and the child. She's amazingly responsive, and the seamless way she addresses an issue make her job look way easier than it is. She's incredibly smart and someone I admire tremendously.." - Nominated 10/2018

Blanca Gonzalez, Bilingual Community Relations Specialist/Student Advisor, Mission High School- Distinguished Service Award Winner for September 2020

"Blanca is highly skilled in connecting and building trusting relationships with all the community members within and outside of SFUSD. She is passionate and determined to lift and inspire the MEP families during difficult times and is a resourceful and knowledgeable ally. Her dedication has been demonstrated time and time again throughout her 22 years of service to families. Blanca has remained strong, stable and is a model of hope and perseverance within the community and for her colleagues. She culturally and linguistically represents the MEP community that she serves. Blanca possesses unwavering strength, heart, and courage in supporting the most vulnerable families and situations in the city." -Nominated 1/2020

Ra Price, 4th Grade Teacher - Lafayette Elementary School - Special Service Award Winner for August 2020

"Ra works tirelessly each day to educate her students. She has a keen sense of social justice and brings this lens to all of her instruction and class conversations. Ra finds opportunities for education in even the smallest of moments whether it is academic or social emotional. Ms. Price constantly strives to learn and then apply new, evidence based teaching practices. She has a creative classroom with flexible seating and her Readers and Writers Workshop practice is seemingly exemplary." - Nominated 11/2018

Suzann Baldwin, Spanish Teacher - Abraham Lincoln High School- Distinguished Service Award Winner for April 2020

"Suzann is passionate and enthusiastic about the subject that she teaches. The manner in which she guides, redirects and delivers instruction is done in a way that ushers not-so-confident learners into being confident learners and developing strong learners into self-propellers of learning.  Suzann is in tune with her students' levels of proficiency and encourages them to challenge themselves. She maintains a highly professional approach for colleagues and families and maintains a nurturing approach to ease students who speak with her. Suzann is a longstanding teacher of the Spanish language, who is grossly due recognition, thanks, and acknowledgment."-Nominated six times 1/2020

Tina Huie, 2nd GradeTeacher -Frank McCoppin Elementary School- Distinguished Service Award Winner for February 2020

"Ms. Huie exemplifies so many of SFUSD's core values. She is student-centered in the way she approaches and tackles each individual student's needs. She treats your question, big or small, as her highest priority and if she doesn't have an answer, will do her best to find you one. She is such a team player and goes above and beyond the core curriculum to make learning an enriching experience for her students. Ms. Huie's students love her. As teachers, our time is very limited so we cherish any break we have. During Ms. Huie's breaks (recess, lunch, before school) you will almost always see students in her room. She opens her classroom up in her free time to provide her students with a safe space to socialize. Ms. Huie is innovative. She always has fun and interesting projects for students to work on.." - Nominated 04/2019

Jennifer Hancock, Secretary - McKinley Elementary School- Special Service Award Winner for February 2020

"Jennifer always goes above and beyond when helping staff, students and families. Words are inadequate to express our appreciation for all that she does each week: from taking care of the sick child to making sure teachers have supplies needed to function each day to her positive attitude that infects the rest of us and can make for joyful learning." - Nominated 12/2018

Kay Hones, Librarian - Civic Center- Distinguished Service Award Winner for January 2020

"I am nominating Ms. Hones because of her tireless work with our students. Ms Hones has helped students write grants for projects that students are starting. Ms. Hones has helped students get funding for graphics printing (sweatshirts and printing mediums), a barber chair for braiding and cutting hair, couches for classrooms, etc." - Nominated 12/2018

Julia Smith, Teacher - Rooftop Community School- Distinguished Service Award Winner for January 2020

"I have never seen a person so genuinely dedicated to the success of each one of her kids in her classrooms. She is constantly going above and beyond in so many ways. She connects with students in her classroom immensely, handing out handwritten notes every day to kids with a quick “pick me up” which one parent said 'goes right above their bed and stays there for them to see every day.' Julia is an inspiration to me and all at Rooftop!" - Nominated 02/2018 and 12/2017