Acknowledge Alliance recognized San Miguel’s Debbie Wiseth with its Teacher of the Year Award and the Front Office Staff of all 10 SSD schools with its School Community Heroes Award at its 15th annual Forget-me-Not Celebration on May 12.
Our Forget-Me-Not honorees are extraordinary examples of outstanding educators and school partners. They teach with open hearts to strengthen resilience and relationships. They understand that learning is about students’ hearts, as well as their minds. Because they genuinely believe in all students and build on their strengths, children and youth feel more connected to school and become inspired to reach their full potential.
TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Debbie Wiseth
Third Grade Teacher, San Miguel Elementary School
Debbie Wiseth earned her AA degree at Mt. San Antonio College in Southern California while working full-time at Chick Sporting Goods. After attending Mt. SAC, she graduated from CSUF with her degree in Liberal Studies. Wanting to continue her education, she moved to San Jose and got a second degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Environmental Education at SJSU and earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and CLAD Certificate there as well. While in the teaching credential program, Debbie was placed at San Miguel School for student teaching and was then hired to teach fourth grade. Debbie has been living the dream at San Miguel ever since. This is her 26th year of teaching and she has no plans on retiring anytime soon. One of the greatest rewards of having worked in the same community for so many years is now having her former students’ children and extended family. She said that it is wonderful to have people come back to visit and see families grow. Debbie is honored to receive the Forget-Me-Not Teacher of the Year Award from Acknowledge Alliance. Debbie feels there is no other path for her and still loves the path that she is on…teaching future generations that will one day be the leaders in our communities and world. Teaching young children has always been a passion. Their kind, loving, generous hearts, and their love of learning are what draw her to elementary-age children – seeing their faces light up at the idea of learning something new, overcoming struggles, and seeing the lightbulb shine when they accomplish a task or goal. She thanks her parents for sacrificing and affording her the education she has been given so she can live her passion.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY HEROES: Front Office Staff
Front office staff play a central role in the running of a school. These school community heroes model the social-emotional resilience that Acknowledge Alliance knows to be foundational to building and strengthening positive school culture. We especially appreciate and acknowledge all the heroes who work with us through our Resilience Consultation Program at these schools:
- Bishop
- Cherry Chase
- Cumberland
- Ellis
- Fairwood
- Lakewood
- San Miguel
- Vargas
- Columbia Middle
- Sunnyvale Middle
Acknowledge Alliance serves K-12 schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, integrating resilience into all levels of learning by mentoring educators, counseling at-risk youth and teaching social-emotional learning lessons for the whole classroom. Acknowledge Alliance and SSD have been partners for 10 years.
