Teacher Appreciation Tuesday in South Lake Tahoe

It is indisputable that kindness as human virtue is in too short supply and too little used these days. Sometimes we wonder how we can heal our seemingly insurmountable divides. Let me posit a single word: Kindness.

Over the past four weeks, you have demonstrated kindness to our teachers and staff at our school district by submitting over 140 shout-outs, donating over 70 bags of coffee, gifting t-shirts, sauna trips, baskets, and much more (contact us if you want to add to the cause). Our educators have worked so hard this year and we took a moment to say thank you. These are the things that make Tahoe not just a wonderful place to live, but a wonderful place to call home. Sometimes all it takes is a random act of kindness to change the world, and you have done that!

Let’s take a moment to honor this week’s shout outs and honorees!

Each "winner" will also have a book donated in their name to their school's library.

Everett Goldberg - South Tahoe High School
• Winner! Mr. Goldberg will receive a full auto detailing from South Shore Custom Detailing
• Nominated by Megan Goldberg. "I am going to brag about my husband for a second! Throughout this entire pandemic, he tirelessly worked on finding new and creative ways to keep our HS kids active. From using backpacks filled with books to “foam rolling” with cans to sometimes using our son as a “weight”, he provided different ways for students to continue working out at home. He chose to take what he could do and run with it, instead of letting the pandemic and not having a weight room stop his entire program. Now that we are back to hybrid, he works even harder to get these kids back on track and providing a sense of normalcy for them! His dedication to his craft and these students is just remarkable!"

Monica Chan - Bijou Elementary
• Winner! Monica Chan will receive a coffee basket.
• Nominated by Gina LoCicero. "Monica is an instructional aid at Bijou, and the teachers and students are so lucky to have her! She goes above and beyond to help students, (she’s even helped a student on Saturdays). She helps communicate with families and spends time reaching out to set up plans for extra support. She’s kind, always positive, and the students love her. This year has had its challenges, but Monica has been bright light for all the students she works with no matter what phase we are in. Monica is amazing, and I’ve loved working with her this year! One reason Bijou is so special is because we have hard working staff like Monica."

Mrs. An Tuan Tabor - Sierra House Elementary
• Winner! Mrs. Tabor will receive a Spring basket.
• Nominated by Hilary Merrill. "Our teacher truly has the kindest heart. She has lifted my child up during these tough times, making her feel not only like she is growing and accomplishing a lot, but that the issues we have faced during COVID weren’t going to stop her class from learning and having fun together. My child has excelled under instruction from Mrs. Tabor. She began the year unsure and a little scared, and is now so excited to go to class, and is very much enjoying doing the assignments given by our teacher. Mrs. Tabor’s gentle nature is greatly appreciated by us. My child always mentions something funny or nice her teacher has said. When we needed extra help and a work packet for traveling, Mrs. Tabor went out of her way to make it in just one day, and have it ready for us. When my child and I were very sick, Mrs. Tabor went out of her way to hand deliver my child’s homework to us at our home. She truly cares about the well being of her students, and it shows. My child has told me many times that she wishes Mrs. Tabor would teach her for every grade!

Dr. Amy Hope - Zephyr Cove Elementary - "She is amazing at what she does," said Chris and "She goes outside of the box for her students," said Jennifer Singleton.

Susan McAllister - Sierra House Elementary - "She is extremely organized and motivated and makes sure the students don’t fall behind through the pandemic," said Sara Jeppson.

Melissa Benavidez - Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School - "Melissa wears many hats! A full time mom of three, the tech wizard, grad student and team teacher partner. Melissa never turns away someone who might need her help in any arena. She steps up to help our school in many ways from PTA to helping our principal, all the while planning and strategizing with her 3rd grade team and helping her own children with distance learning! We are super proud to call her a team member here at the Magnet school," said Stacy Hembree.

Jim Rollins - Tahoe Valley Elementary - "There's too many great attributes to list but the one I have recently been most impressed with is his ability to adapt to this distance learning thing without losing for learning part of it. He's very straightforward and engage and keeps the kids attention! I don't know I'm not very good at this sort of thing he's a great teacher and anybody who knows him would agree I'm sure thank you," said Jessica Hill.

Kim Ilvento - Elevated - "Kim goes above and beyond to help her 6th graders out! She truly wants the kids to succeed in such a rough time in their education. Always has a great attitude," said Lynda Bryan.

Mandy Miller - Sierra House Elementary - "She has put 200% into this year with Covid regulations she interacts so well with all the children . My daughter counts down the days until she gets to go to school and see her teacher each week," said Kaela Mapes.

Mr. Juan - Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School - "Mr. Juan has been working so hard to get the campus ready for all the kids! He has worked tirelessly moving around desks and making sure the kids will be safe when they return to school on Monday. He has even been helping with the parking lot before and after school. We can always count on Mr. Juan to help us out when needed! Thank You," said Melissa Benavidez .

Sara Pierce and Marlene Guerrero - ILA - Tahoe Learning Cohorts - "These two Spanish teachers are providing one hour a day of Spanish: reading, writing, speaking for the 8 7th grade students at the Tahoe Learning Cohort. True to the two way immersion model, this Spanish Language Arts class is done 100% in Spanish... reading novels, writing essays, playing games and having discussions! These two teachers do this every day without fail...since the first day of school! Their kindness, positivity and dedication to these students is second to none! Thank you Sara and Marlene," said Kathy Haven.

Kathy Martinez - Bijou Elementary - "She teaches our kindergartner with so much love and light. She oozes positivity even when it’s not easy. Thank you so much for all you do Kathy," said the Glaze Family.

Thank you everyone for submitting your teacher and staff shout-outs! Everyone is a "winner" and all of these were randomly selected. There are more that will be added to next week's story. Thank you to South Tahoe Custom Detailing for the gift certificate. If any other business would like to add gifts or sponsor a book purchase for the school libraries, please contact paula@southtahoenow.com. To nominate for next week, please submit to - https://forms.gle/DEbmTP6ue4oBxmeq5 after Tuesday, March 30.