A middle school teacher from Palm Springs USD and an elementary teacher from Corona-Norco USD are named the first of four 2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year
RIVERSIDE – Tears of joy, applause from students, and congratulatory colleagues, trustees, and superintendents highlighted two virtual surprise visits by Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez, as he named Kathleen Magana and Nichi Avina as the first two 2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year.
“With 430,000 students in 515 schools and 23 school districts, there are thousands of teachers who are faithfully serving our students every day, and we are proud to highlight Ms. Magana and Ms. Avina with this award,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez.
Both Ms. Magana and Ms. Avina will represent the county as part of the California State Teacher of the Year competition later this year. Two more Riverside County Teachers of the Year will be revealed later in May.
“I am truly honored, and couldn’t be more proud to represent my school, my district, and the county,” said Kathleen Magana with her students seated behind her in her classroom for the surprise.
“Thank you for this opportunity. It is such a great honor to represent Riverside County,” said Nichi Avina. “I’m speechless right now.”
About Kathleen Magana
Kathleen Magana has served as a teacher at Garretson Elementary for 23 years. All three of her children attended Garretson Elementary and are currently enrolled in middle and high schools in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.
She pioneered the elementary Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program at Garretson Elementary, and recently launched the myBuddy Mentorship Program to the school. MyBuddy bridges the path from elementary to high school for minority students as third grade students are paired up with high school student mentors for encouragement and advice.
In her classroom, Kathleen connects students to learning through fresh brownies to teach about equivalent fractions and a class compost project to help students experience first-hand science lessons.
“She represents a creative, tenacious passion for students and the teaching profession,” said Garretson Elementary School principal, Ana Luna. “She possesses a level of integrity that is one of the greatest contributions to our community. She is a vital part of Garretson.”
Kathleen graduated from California State University, San Bernardino, with a double major in psychology and liberal studies, and a Master’s degree in education.
About Nichi Avina
Nichi Avina arrived in the United States from the Philippines at the age of 7 and lived the experience of many first generation immigrant families. She graduated from college in 1998, but when her brother died tragically in 2001, she returned to school to earn her credential and has served as a public school teacher for 15 years.
Currently, Nichi is a middle school science teacher at Cielo Vista Charter School in the Palm Springs Unified School District. In her role, she has spearheaded district-wide trauma informed training, created a STEAM Lab, established an art mentoring program, received multiple EcoRise environmental grants, and re-developed the school garden.
During distance learning, her classroom features virtual social-emotional check-ins, real-time assessments with online quizzes, collaborative scientific models on a shared virtual whiteboard, and partner talks through FlipGrid.
“I see Nichi as more than a Teacher of the Year, she is a real-life superhero,” said former student, LoriBeth Uloa, who remembers Nichi’s support when she was struggling in middle school. “For the first time in my life, Nichi looked at me as the teachable student that I continue to be. I was unsure of who I could count on to listen to me without pre-judgment of my situation.”
Nichi earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and her Master’s degree in education from the University of California, San Diego.
2022 Riverside County Teachers of the Year
(final two set to be named in late May)
Kathleen Magana
3rd Grade Teacher
Garretson Elementary School
Corona-Norco USD
Years Teaching: 23
Nichi Avina
Middle School Science Teacher
Cielo Vista Charter School
Palm Springs USD
Years Teaching: 15
Once named, all four teachers of the year will represent Riverside County in the 2022 California Teacher of the Year competition where at least one Riverside County teacher has been selected as a California Teacher of the Year in seven of the last eight years:
- 2021 – Keisa Brown, University Heights Middle School, Riverside USD and Allison Cyr, Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School, Desert Sands Unified School District
- 2020 – Brenda Chavez-Barreras, Good Hope Elementary School, Perris Elementary School District
- 2019 – Dr. Angel Mejico, El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco USD
- 2018 – Dr. Brian McDaniel, Painted Hills Middle School, Palm Springs USD
- 2017 – Shaun Bunn, Ethan A. Chase Middle School, Romoland School District
- 2016 – Michelle Cherland, Carrillo Ranch Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
- 2014 – Jessica Pack, James Workman Middle School, Palm Springs USD
The Riverside County Teachers of the Year are selected from nearly 20,000 educators in the county. The rigorous application process requires candidates to spend time reflecting on, and carefully defining, their teaching philosophy. The county teachers of the year are selected on the basis of nominations by teachers, principals, and school district administrators throughout the county. Applications are then submitted to the Riverside County Office of Education, where a selection committee reviews the applications on each district candidate and selects semi-finalists. The selection committee then conducts interviews to select the final four candidates before the county superintendent announces the Riverside County Teachers of the Year.