Our Standout Staff

UPA staff members have been honored and recognized in several ways, both locally and nationally. Listed below are just a few examples!

• Congratulations to Dori Galvin and Leah Rotkin-Ellman! These UPA teachers submitted successful applications for Fund for Teachers Fellowships. As Fund for Teachers Fellows, Galvin and Rotkin-Ellman "embarked on self-designed learning odysseys as scholars, researchers, [and] adventurers." Last summer, they "researched the modern Oaxacan indigenous populations in Mexico while also collecting artifacts and primary documents on the precolonial indigenous populations, to enhance students’ research of Aztecs and Spanish language study."

Learn more about the program here.

• Lisa Hiltbrand was one of two teachers honored as 2010-11 Teacher of the Year by the Oakland Unified School District. This is a huge accolade!

• Jill Johnson was selected to represent UPA and Oakland at NBC's Education Nation. She is also a 2011-12 achievethecore.org Fellow and an "Education Champion" Fellow in the America Achieves program, whose fellowship includes "a diverse group of educators with proven effectiveness in the classroom who have been called on to provide their perspectives and input into policy decisions at the local, state, and federal levels."

• Nicole Knight and Kristine Leunig were recognized by the OUSD Board of Education for National Board Certifications.

Congratulations to our rock star staff!