The California Department of Education honored Opal Robinson Elementary School Teacher Kimberlee Holz on Oct. 9 as a recipient of the 2019 California State Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award.
Holz has been teaching for 38 years and 21 of those years in her current position as a fourth grade multi-subject teacher at Opal Robinson Elementary. She is also a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support site leader, mentor and leader in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District.
“I was super honored to be a state finalist,” Holz said. “There is a ridiculous number of teachers considered in the three hundred thousands and to get to this point is such an honor.”
According to the California Department of Education website, the program’s goal is to select articulate teachers to serve as California TOYs who will effectively represent the state’s teachers, motivate and inspire other educators and champion the positive contributions of the teaching profession. The purpose of the California TOY Program is to bring attention to teachers who successfully employ strategies to increase academic success and narrow the achievement gap among a range of students.
“Mrs. Holz is an amazing writing teacher and she taught me so many tools I still use today,” Costa senior and Opal Robinson Elementary alum Lauren Goldston said. “If I am not mistaken, our fouth grade class got extremely high state testing writing scores all because of Mrs. Holz.”
Holz incorporates bits of humor and connections with her students to create a nurturing learning environment where students feel treasured for their uniqueness. The class is stimulated by a motivating curriculum and engagement in learning, according to a press statement made by the California Department of Education.
“Mrs. Holz always wanted to give us hands-on experiences related to what we were learning,” Goldston said. “So when we were learning about the gold rush we had a 49er day where we dressed up and did educational hands-on experiences that really helped us understand the material and was a lot of fun too.”
Holz first won the title of the MBUSD Teacher of the Year after being nominated by fellow teachers and members of the district. She then went on to be in the running for the Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year and then a nominee for a California State Teacher of the Year. Holz underwent multiple interviews and video conferences before State superintendent Tom Torlakson selected her as the award winner.
“Going through the process of recieving this award, you realize that many people could be filling this role,” Holz said.
The MBUSD Board of Trustees honored Holz on Wednesday at its board meeting. She will fly to Sacramento on Monday to meet with Torlakson and outline the year ahead as she will be an Ambassador of Education for the state of California. The winners will be involed in speaking engagements, conferences and educational networking in the coming year. Additionally, there will be an assembly on Oct. 26 at Robinson on her behalf and a gala in Sacramento on Dec. 10 honoring the five California TOYs.
“I think more teachers deserve recognition for their efforts in their classrooms,” Holz said. “There is just not enough.”
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