The Ocean View School District announced its elementary and middle school Teachers of the Year with surprise visits to Lake View Elementary School in Huntington Beach and Vista View Middle School in Fountain Valley. The 2017-2018 Teachers of the Year are Mrs. Sandi Lewis, grades 3-4 teacher at Lake View, and Mrs. Niki Hoang, 8th grade teacher at Vista View.
Superintendent Carol Hansen and Executive Cabinet Members, in collaboration with Lake View Principal Jamie Goodwyn and Vista View Principal Scott Mooney, surprised teachers with the big news. Students and staff applauded and cheered during the ceremonies. Following the announcement at Lake View, Superintendent Hansen announced Mrs. Lewis will serve as the District’s nominee for the county-level Teacher of the Year program, which commences in the spring. Our Board of Trustees will honor both Teachers of the Year at its regular meeting on April 10, 2018.
“We are proud to celebrate these two outstanding teachers today,” said Dr. Hansen. “On a daily basis, both of these women demonstrate a passion for learning and results, as seen by their interactions with students and their collaborations with their peers.”
ELEMENTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Sandi Lewis
Teacher, Lake View Elementary School, STEAM School, Huntington Beach
Arriving in OVSD in 2006, Mrs. Lewis has spent the majority of her time as a teacher at Lake View Elementary School, teaching third, fourth and fifth graders. She currently teaches a grades 3-4 combination class. From 2015 to 2017, she worked in the Ocean View District Office as a Teacher on Special Assignment, focusing her efforts in the area of educational technology, something she is passionate about for all students. She returned to Lake View this school year, bringing her innovative ideas and love of robotics and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). She currently leads the school’s robotics team, which will compete in the annual OVSD Robotics Competition this spring. Mrs. Lewis has trained her Lake View peers in the state’s new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), project-based learning, engineering instructional design, and comprehensive cross-curricular lesson design.
In the Teacher of the Year nomination packet, Mrs. Lewis is described as, “What an administrator searches for in a teacher – caring, intelligent, creative, and effective.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Niki Hoang
Teacher, Vista View Middle School, Fountain Valley
Mrs. Hoang began her teaching career in OVSD at Vista View Middle School in 2004. Since then, she has expanded her math focus to include media technology, yearbook, and information technology. She continues to teach eighth grade math and algebra. She also serves as the school’s Yearbook Advisor.
When you step into her classroom, you realize that Mrs. Hoang is motivating her students to create amazing projects, some of which can be seen in this photo (right). As part of her nomination packet, she is described as consistently demonstrating academic gains in her classes and helping her students to become responsible, contributing members of the school community. She works on the school’s leadership team and collaborates with the neighboring high school district on math articulation. Mrs. Hoang also keeps busy outside of the classroom by supporting other families and participating in community service activities, as well as local homeless outreach opportunities, such as interim housing and meal distribution. After immigrating to the United States from Vietnam as a child, Mrs. Hoang is always mindful of her family’s experiences as refugees and actively looks for ways to welcome and support newcomers to the country, community and school.
View all Teacher of the Year photos from March 6, 2018!
View the OVSD Facebook announcement videos!
