Two teachers from Lincoln Elementary School in Richmond were nominated for the Contra Costa County 2024-25 Teachers of the Year award.
Pilar Alvarado and Akinwale Sean Ajayi are among 22 teachers countywide that were nominated for the honor, according to the Contra Costa County Office of Education. Among those 22 teachers, four finalists have already been named. Those teachers represent schools in Antioch, Orinda, Pittsburg and Danville.
All nominees for the Contra Costa County 2024-25 Teachers of the Year award will be honored on Thursday, Sept 19, at the 52nd Annual Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year Celebration at the Lesher Center for the Arts. The celebration starts at 6 p.m.
At the celebration, two of the four Teacher of the Year finalists will be named the County’s Teachers of the Year. Those two teachers will go on to compete in the state’s Teacher of the Year program.
Both Alvarado, a 6th grade English Language Arts teacher, and Ajayi, a general education pre-school teacher, were nominated for the Countywide honor after earning the West Contra Costa Education Fund’s Teaching Excellence Awards, which annually recognize the school district’s best teachers as nominated by their colleagues.
2024-2025 Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year Nominees:
- Katie Watson, Acalanes Union High School District, Miramonte High School
- Nicole Vicknair, Antioch Unified School District, Bidwell Continuation High School
- Patty Barbosa, Brentwood Union School District, Mary Casey Elementary School
- Andrea Kanazeh, Byron Union School District, Timber Point Elementary School
- Andria Madsen, CCCOE Student Programs, Liberty Transition School
- Marilou Bibat, John Swett Unified School District, Carquinez Middle School
- Karen O’Leary, Knightsen Elementary School District, Old River Elementary School
- Stephanie Tompkins, Lafayette School District, Happy Valley Elementary School
- Joshua Cauley, Liberty Union High School District, Heritage High School
- Samantha Groess, Martinez Unified School District, Alhambra High School
- Virginia Vu, Moraga School District, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School
- Mia Carella, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Walnut Acres Elementary School
- Ingrid Wright, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Bancroft Elementary School
- Kim Charlson, Oakley Union Elementary School District, Vintage Parkway Elementary School
- Michelle Goode, Orinda Union Elementary School District, Del Rey Elementary School
- Jennifer Martinez, Pittsburg Unified School District, Pittsburg High School
- Kristy Candelaria, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, John Baldwin Elementary School
- Tori Witty, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Iron Horse Middle School
- Kerry Wilson, Walnut Creek School District, Walnut Heights Elementary School
- Pilar Alvarado, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Lincoln Elementary School
- Sean Ajayi, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Lincoln Elementary School
- Scott Cabral, Contra Costa County Community College District, Los Medanos College
