Santa Cruz County Board honors teachers, classified staff and community partners at May meeting

The Santa Cruz County Board of Education used its May meeting to present countywide awards recognizing educators and community partners. Superintendent Dr. Sabah and student leadership coordinator Andres Ortiz introduced recipients including Miss Brooker (teacher recognized for work advising the Black Student Union), John Postovit (Santa Cruz County Teacher of the Year and retiring Scotts Valley High School physics teacher), Sylvia Alba (migrant education leader), Jessica Serna Castaneda (classified employee of the year), and Amy Hendrick Farr (administrator/manager of the year). The board and nominators highlighted long service, student-centered programs and initiatives such as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and expanded migrant and bilingual supports.

Teachers and awardees described the personal and programmatic impacts of their work. Miss Brooker said she will “always strive to be part of the solution,” and John Postovit—named by colleague Christy Danner—thanked staff and students and called the honor “the peak of all the awards I’ve gotten.” Presenters noted measurable program elements: the county reported hundreds of nominations for awards, X Academy’s robotics and math programs now serve more than 140 students across 15 schools and qualified multiple teams for national competitions, and Amy Hendrick Farr’s nutrition programs helped double student participation after universal free meals and reduced added sugars in elementary meals by 43 percent. The board closed the segment with applause and a request for photos.