2 South Bay Teachers Among LA County Teachers Of The Year

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Two South Bay teachers are among 16 local teachers named Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year Friday and will advance to the statewide competition.

Heather Ladd, a Washington Elementary teacher in the Redondo Beach Unified School District, and Megan Wareham, a JH Hull Middle School teacher in the Torrance Unified School District, were both honored as Teachers of the Year.

"These individuals are the heart and soul of a good education, each day instilling a love of learning and inspiring our young people to reach their full potential," Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo said in a statement.

The honorees will compete in the California Teachers of the Year competition this fall. Five statewide honorees will be selected in November, and one of them will be chosen to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year contest next spring.

The L.A. county honorees are:

— Heather Ladd, Washington Elementary, Redondo Beach Unified;

— Megan Wareham, JH Hull Middle School, Torrance Unified;

— Michael Danielson, First Avenue Middle School in the Arcadia Unified School District;

— Lauren Stuart, El Rodeo School in the Beverly Hills Unified School District;

— Guy Myers, John Burroughs High School, Burbank Unified School District;

— Jennifer Bell, Glendora High School, Glendora Unified;

— Susan Levy, Chaparral Elementary School, Las Virgenes Unified;

— Allison Akeo, Marshall Academy of the Arts, Long Beach Unified;

— Nikysha Gilliam, Audubon Middle School, Los Angeles Unified;

— Jessica Perry-Martin, ArTES Magnet/Chavez Academies, LAUSD;

— Amy Weisberg, Topanga Elementary Charter, LAUSD;

— Veronica Escobedo, Tamarisk Elementary, Palmdale School District;

— Felicia Akuamoah, Paramount Park Middle School, Paramount Unified;

— Karla Toledo, Orangewood Elementary, West Covina Unified;

— Laurel Priesz, Canyon High School, William S. Hart Union High School District; and

— Jennifer Williams, Juan Cabrillo Elementary, Wiseburn Unified.

City News Service contributed to this post