AMANDA CASILLAS-SAUCEDO AND LYDIA PROVENCIO
NAMED REGION 19 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
El Paso, Texas (August 14, 2010) - - Amanda Casillas-Saucedo of the Socorro Independent School District and Lydia Provencio of the Canutillo Independent School District were named the 2010 ESC Region 19 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year at a recognition banquet on Saturday, August 14 at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center.
Casillas-Saucedo and Provencio were selected from a group of 19 candidates representing area school districts by a panel of judges. Each rated high in the areas of personal experience, professional development, community involvement, philosophy of teaching, and educational issues.
Casillas-Saucedo is a fifth grade science teacher at Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary and has been teaching for 6 years. She believes teachers can be a breaking or driving force for students. This belief is reflected in her classroom, where she creates a learning inferno encouraging students rather than breaking them. “I have found firsthand that when students realize I genuinely care about them, they do their best and the progress is evident,” said Casillas-Saucedo. “I am passionate about working towards their success (students) and will go the extra mile to help them reach that.”
Provencio, who has been teaching for 4 years, is a Special Education teacher at Canutillo Middle School. Provencio believes she must continually push herself to be the best educator she could possibly be - because her students need her to be and inspire her to do so. This belief is well rooted in her teaching philosophy where she encourages each and everyone of her students to reach their fullest potential. “As an educator, I hope to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion for learning with them,” said Provencio. “I take great pride in the accomplishments, achievements, and successes of my students and believe there is no other profession that will provide me with such intrinsic reward and satisfaction.”
Casillas-Saucedo and Provencio will advance to compete for the Texas Teacher of the Year title, the highest honor that the state of Texas can bestow upon a teacher. The Texas Teacher of The Year becomes a candidate for the National Teacher of the Year competition. The ESC Region 19 Teacher of the Year Program serves as a platform to honor El Paso’s outstanding educators for their excellence in teaching.
Education Service Center (ESC) - Region 19 is one of twenty regional service centers located throughout the state that function as a link between the districts and charter schools they serve and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in Austin, the administrative unit of Texas’ public education system. ESC-Region 19 aides teachers and administrators in the El Paso area in their role as educators of our children and supports sixteen local education agencies, with a student population of more than 160,000 in Hudspeth and El Paso Counties.
Contact:
Mark de Santos
790-4614
