Sandra Davis, a proud Brahma for 10 years, seemed to continuously win awards and never cease being recognized for her academic excellence this past summer.
Davis, an English teacher and a peer counseling advisor at DBHS, was selected out of 79 teachers as one of the honorary semifinalists for the Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year competition this past summer. However, achieving this recognition was not an easy process.
Davis first became involved in this rigorous competition when she was voted as the English Career Education and the Arts Division Teacher of the Year by her school division and then as the DBHS Teacher of the Year by the entire school staff.
As the school representative, Davis competed against 14 other teachers from different schools of the same district and later advanced as the Walnut Valley United School District Teacher of the Year.
“I feel extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by my Brahma colleagues for my efforts to educate our students in English, as well as providing activities and events for our campus that promote awareness of challenging teen issues,” the English teacher said.
However, the competition was not quite finished yet for the semifinalist. Still part of the competition, Davis had to submit a formal biography with three essays covering several issues of education and participate in an interview with a judging panel. After completing these requirements, Davis is now waiting for the results to be disclosed.
On Sept. 21, she will attend a Teacher of the Year luncheon at the Universal City Hilton, where the finalists of the LA County competition will be announced. All finalists will then have their applications sent to the state competition.
Davis attributes her achievements to her unique methods of teaching and her continuous involvement in school activities. The English teacher uses a hands-on, project-based approach when teaching her students.
According to Davis, her experience as a peer counselor advisor allows her to make English lessons more “interesting by providing more in-depth background information for the students as [they] read and analyze literature.” The advisor also founded the school’s semi-annual Diamond Bar Forum and holds occasional peer counseling events during lunch.
“I believe being affirmed and recognized at this level has encouraged me to continue my advocacy for students to be more balanced socially, emotionally and spiritually, while continuing to pursue academic excellence,” Davis said.
