South Tahoe High's Melissa Berry wins Outstanding Teacher of America award

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Melissa Berry, AP Psychology and US History teacher at South Lake Tahoe High School was selected to receive one of the five 2019 Carlston Family Foundation Outstanding Teachers of America Awards.

In November, Ms. Berry received a $15,000 cash award at the Carlston Family Foundation’s 17th Annual Awards Ceremony in Mill Valley, Calif. During Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) board meeting, she received an additional $5,000 grant for South Lake Tahoe High School.

Berry, who teaches AP Psychology and US History at her own alma mater, South Tahoe High School, was honored for making a lasting difference in the lives of her students.

"She changed my life," wrote her former student Alexis Holmes who nominated the popular teacher.

“In high school, I felt as if I was losing the battle with being myself and developing my own identity. Ms. Berry changed all of that. She fostered in me a love of history that remains to this day and she inspired my path to the liberal arts for my BA in History, She inspired confidence in myself and a belief in my abilities. She helped me clarify my goals and to follow my passions in life….her courses prepared me for college more than any class I took in high school and made college so much easier because of her high expectations in high school,” said Holmes. Alexis continued her graduate studies at McGeorge Law School at the University of Pacific, worked as an analyst for the FBI and most recently passed the California bar exam.

Alexis, 2010 graduate of South Lake Tahoe High School and a 2014 Graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles was one of the six former students Allen interviewed.

The other students supplied similar stories after Berry made it to the top ten nominees and the Carlston Family Foundation Executive Director Tim Allen started seeking them out for comments.

Other comments from current and former students and fellow staff members Allen found to describe Ms. Berry:

- She makes herself available to her students
- She has been the greatest gift in my life
- She makes every class exciting
- She teaches with enthusiasm, compassion and who demonstrates a desire to ensure all of her students reach their full potential
- She is passionate about ensuring all of her students develop critical thinking skills, self, and world understanding and self-efficacy

"Melissa, you've made a difference," said Allen as he presented her with the second check.

"You're the picture of inspiration," said STHS Principal Carline Sinkler.

"The only reason I teach is because of the kids," said Ms. Berry. "I love every day with the kids. I would put my life on the line for them, I love them that much."

Allen said teachers are brought to their attention by former students who are successful in their academic and life pursuits. These former students tell how they would not be where they are today without the influence, compassion and academic preparation they experience from these teachers from their high school years.

They whittle down the almost 100 nominees in the state to a top ten list, then Allen starts his work by finding students who had the nominated teacher and are currently in college or graduated. They interview them along with other teachers to see if the nominated educator is as amazing as the person who nominated them said they were. "We want to make sure that person still has 'it' - the dedication," said Allen.

Allen says they look for passion, a teacher who believes in their students, has the knowledge to teach, one that makes the subject relevant and knows how to involve the students.

He takes his report and submits it to his board of directors and they choose the five winners.

“This job does not seem like a job to me. I cannot wait to get to school to see what joy I can experience each day. Being around my students keeps me young and vibrant. I love how creative and brilliant my students are. After all these years of teaching, I am still learning about how to be a better teacher and I learn this mostly from the students I teach. I cannot imagine doing anything else,” said Ms. Berry on her nominee page on the Foundation's website.

Melissa said she was going to give the $5,000 check to the high school for creating an actual "quad" in the middle part of the school that is affectionately known as that. She'd like to see seats and a gathering area created in this space.

The Carlston Family Foundation was founded in 1987 by the founders of Broderbund Software, an educational software company located in San Rafael, Calif. From 1987 to 1998 the mission of The Foundation was to support the volunteer efforts of Broderbund employees by making grants to social service and environmental non-profit organizations at which the employees worked as volunteers. Since its inception, The Foundation has made hundreds of grants, totaling approximately $2,000,000, to support such organizations. When Broderbund was sold in 1998, the Foundation became independent.

Currently, the mission of the Carlston Family Foundation is to recognize and reward outstanding teachers in California public high schools, a continuation of the the focus at Broderbund Software on all matters educations.