Danville Teacher Finalist For Contra Costa County Teacher Of The Year

DANVILLE, CA — Kristy Candelaria, a second and third grade teacher at John Baldwin Elementary School, is one of four finalists for the Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year for 2024-25, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and Contra Costa County Office of Education announced.

Candelaria and four other finalists were selected from 22 teachers nominated by their districts to celebrate excellence in teaching. Two of the finalists will be chosen as Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year at the Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year celebration on Sept. 19. The finalists will then be in the running for California Teacher of the Year. In 2022, Diablo Vista Middle School teacher Chavonta Edington won Contra County Teacher of the Year Award.

Candelaria has been at SRVUSD since 2003. She grew up in a small Wyoming town, and always loved being at school. After exploring different career paths, she was inspired by a personal family experience supporting a child struggling with reading and spelling, and decided to become a teacher in order to provide literacy instruction accessible to all students. She has spent the past 25 years developing expertise on topics like dyslexia, phonemic awareness, literacy assessments, and structured literacy assessments and interventions.
Candelaria also organizes community activities like field trips and weekend family meetups.

“There is no other profession that is as challenging, motivating, and meaningful as teaching,” she told CCOE.

“We are extremely proud of Kristy,” SRVUSD Superintendent John Malloy said in a statement. “She brings her passion for literacy and academic excellence to her classroom each day and provides students with a rich educational experience complete with compassion and care. Kristy is an outstanding teacher and I am so thrilled that she has received this very deserving honor.”

Other finalists include:

• Michelle Goode, an inclusion specialist at the Orinda Union School District
• Jennifer Martinez, director of bands at Pittsburg High School
• Nicole Vicknair, WASC site coordinator at Bidwell Continuation School in Antioch

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