New Haven Honors 2012 Employees of the Year

The New Haven Unified School District honored its staff during Tuesday night’s school board meeting, recognizing each campus’ classified employee and teacher of the year.

Todd Szyslowski, a preschool special education instructor at the , and Celia Raygoza, a 40-year veteran of the district and “matriarch” of the migrant education program, received the highest honors as Teacher of the Year and Classified Employee of the Year for the entire district.

“The work you do makes a difference,” New Haven Superintendent Kari McVeigh told all of the honorees Tuesday night.

Szyslowski, 33, has taught in the district for three years. At Cabello, he works with children who have speech delays, are hard of hearing and have been diagnosed with autism, along with students with other disabilities.

Assistant Superintendent Derek McNamara described Syzslowski as “a special person that can be counted on for anything at any time” and a bridge between general education and special education staff.

The teacher of the year also drafted a mural at the school and goes above and beyond for students, his colleagues said.

Syzslowski started off as an art teacher in Philadelphia. After doing warm water therapy, he got interested in special education, he said.

“I really like working with the students. It’s always engaging,” Syzslowski said. “That’s the focus — helping students find their voice and their learning styles, their identities and what their interests are. That’s what drives you — knowing you can be a support system for families.”

Though Raygoza was unable to attend the brief ceremony Tuesday night, her colleagues spoke highly of her.

Board of Education President Michelle Matthews said Raygoza is a “legend” in the community.

A district employee since 1971, Raygoza works with about 100 students at the , many of whom she recruited herself by visiting homes and migrant work sites. There, she manages students’ academic, health and social progress. She also helps run an afterschool tutoring program and collects donations for families in need.

Along with Syzslowski and Raygoza, the district also recognized the following teachers and classified employees of the year.

The Teachers of the Year from each site were:

• Roxanne Ramirez (Alvarado Elementary)
• Rita Davis (Eastin Elementary)
• Cynthia Tria (Emanuele Elementary)
• Janet Keane (Hillview Crest Elementary)
• Allison Sayavong (Kitayama Elementary)
• Julie Click (Pioneer Elementary)
• Megan Northcote (Searles Elementary)
• Jennifer Nemecek (Alvarado Middle School)
• LaShawn Lively (Cesar Chavez Middle School)
• Alicia Elbert (James Logan High School)
• Heather Thorner (Conley-Caraballo High School)
• Zenaida Luna (New Haven Adult)

 Classified Employees of the Year for each site:

• Yurani Maycotte de Perez (Alvarado Elementary)
• Amy Alvarez (Eastin Elementary)
• Juan Castaneda (Emanuele Elementary)
• Blanca Sanchez (Hillview Crest Elementary)
• Ken Baer (Kitayama Elementary)
• Kathleen Daniello (Pioneer Elementary)
• Jane Greaney (Searles Elementary)
• Tanya Leno (Alvarado Middle)
• Karen Gardner (Cesar Chavez)
• Christopher Perry (James Logan)
• Sue Glenn (Conley-Caraballo)
• Elizabeth Carcallas (Educational Services Center)
• Tony Zamora (Cabello Student Support Center)
• Mark Martin (Corporation Yard)
• Rafaela Reynoso (Food Services)

“Thank you for being a guiding light for our students,” school board trustee Linda Canlas said. “You are my heroes.”