Contra Costa Teachers of Year honored at Concord gala

They didn’t win the overall competition, but nevertheless three West County educators were honored among 22 in Contra Costa County honored as Teachers of the Year last week at a gala dinner in Concord.

Among the honorees were Daniel O’Shea, health sciences teacher at Pinole Valley High School, and Helms Middle School Physical Education teacher Doug Silva, both of whom were also among four teachers to receive the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund’s 2019 Teaching Excellence this year.

Cheri Etheredge, a veteran educator in Contra Costa College’s nursing program, was also honored last Thursday at the Concord Hilton Thursday as part of the annual Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year Dinner Gala.

Among the 22 teachers, two were declared the top two Teachers of the Year. They were Shay Kornfeld of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Maureen Mattson of Pittsburg Unified.                                                                                                      

In Contra Costa County, about 8,637 teachers educate more than 177,000 students, and every year 22 are selected as Teachers of the Year.

The 22 teachers chosen earned on-field recognition at Oakland A’s and SF Giants games, along with classroom grants and other goodies.