Two San Ramon Valley teachers were named as the district's top educators in this year's Teacher of the Year competition, placing them among the 21 nominees across area educational institutions to be recognized by Contra Costa County officials last month.

Ashley Fabro of Golden View Elementary School in San Ramon and Chris Connor of Monte Vista High School in Danville were picked as the 2023 recipients for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and advancement to the county level competition -- although neither were selected among the four finalists by the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

"You all are remarkable at what you do in the classroom and leave an unforgettable impression on your students," Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said in a statement last month. "Thank you for your dedication to the education profession and for making a difference in our children's lives. You are all prime examples of public education at its finest in Contra Costa County."

The 21 nominees from across 18 school districts in the county -- in addition to recipients from schools operated by the Office of Education and the Contra Costa Community College District -- are among a total of approximately 8,000 teachers across the county's public schools, according to the announcement from CCOE.

While most districts in the county are only allowed one nominee each, SRVUSD is among the three districts allowed to submit two nominees due to their large faculty pools.

Fabro, who teaches transitional kindergarten (TK), noted that she and Monte Vista theater teacher Connor have students in very different age groups with generally very different needs. However, increasing challenges to young people's mental health and increased dialogue and recognition surrounding the uptick in the wake of remote learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have meant teachers across all grades have found their students needing more emotional support.

"Every day at lunch (Connor) opens his classroom to any and all students as a safe place," SRVUSD officials said in a statement on Connor's nomination. "He makes his students feel comfortable, safe and supported. ... His willingness to mentor and collaborate with colleagues is honorable and demonstrates his passion for wanting to make everyone's experience the best it can possibly be."

Connor, a Lafayette native, has taught at Monte Vista High School since 2011, after returning to the Bay Area to earn his teaching credential at California State University East Bay. He spent a decade in Hollywood prior to his teaching career, where he dedicated himself to studying theater and performing after studying English at UC Santa Barbara.

"Chris can most often be found at MVHS, even after school and on weekends, pouring into his work for the betterment of his students," SRVUSD officials said. "He is incredibly hard working and selfless and should be recognized at the highest level for the significant work that he does."

As a TK teacher in the midst of the state's preparation and rollout of universal TK in public schools, Fabro said that she and her colleagues had been extensively discussing best practices to address their young students' needs in the present day.

"I think the biggest change I've noticed is just that need and support for social emotional learning for some of our youngest learners because they have such big emotions," Fabro said. "We really, really tried to focus our attention this year on meeting the kids where they're at from a social and emotional standpoint."

Fabro, who has long studied and been informed by a teaching philosophy that values play-based learning, said that the district's increased support for supporting students emotionally was a critical part of what she said she believes will be a successful rollout of universal TK at SRVUSD in the near future.

For her part as a teacher, too, Fabro said that she loved working with young students so much that it was hard to consider it work, despite the extra push on current TK teachers that universal programming and the preparation for it might bring on.

"It's my favorite grade to teach, so I'm really excited that we've been able to look at what the needs are of students at such a young age and how we can foster their growth and how we can help them become students," Fabro said.

"It's not a job; I'm not their teacher," she added. "I facilitate their learning."

While SRVUSD has had a long track record of district teachers reaching the finals of the county Teacher of the Year competition -- most recently Chavonta Edington of Diablo Vista Middle School in Danville last year -- the finalists for the county award this year were selected from other districts.

The four finalists selected by the county this year were Joseph Alvarico (Mt. Diablo Unified School District/Ygnacio Valley High School), Annalouisa Gonzalez-Ortega (Liberty Union High School District/Freedom High School), Patricia Ogura (West Contra Costa Unified School District/Hercules Middle School and Hercules High School) and Danya Townsend (MDUSD/Olympic High School). They will now compete for a chance to become one of two county winners who will advance to the state Teacher of the Year competition.

This marks just the third time since 2006 that SRVUSD did not have at least one of its Teachers of the Year advance to the county finals -- 2015 and 2019 were the other years.

Nonetheless, the work of Connor and Fabro and their nominations to the county are sources of pride for the district, according to SRVUSD Superintendent John Malloy.

"We are so proud to recognize these staff members, Chris and Ashley, as Teachers of the Year, and thank them for their exemplary work with our students," Malloy said. "These two teachers epitomize what it means to support all students to ensure they have everything they need to succeed and thrive."