2022 All-Star Teacher Finalists
Vote for your favorite All-Star Teacher finalist today! Check out their videos and bios, then vote for the teacher you think deserves $20,000 for his or her school. The voting period ends on June 6.
Jason Anthony Bermudez was born in Santa Clara, California. After graduating high school, he attended Evergreen Valley College, then San Jose State University, where in 2009 he earned his bachelor's degree in History. In 2016, he decided to begin the journey of a lifelong learner as a teacher in the community he grew up in.
Mr. Bermudez demonstrates an exemplary commitment to the school, students, parents, and community through his humble personality and daily acts of service. His students have developed the virtue of civic duty by being involved in the community through trash clean ups and writing letters to local government officials.
Mr. Bermudez's teaching style is diverse. Our schedule is fast-paced with very specific blocks–none of which include art. However, in approaching Mr. Bermudez’s room, you will see art on the walls outside his door and once inside, on each of his four walls. Mr. Bermudez finds a way to include and encourage students to be artistically creative. He also researches art contests for not only his students to partake in, but the entire school.
Mr. Bermudez’s consistent data-informed practice is what distinguishes him from other teachers. He is extremely adept at using technology to glean information that informs his teaching. These tailor-made assignments provide his students with opportunities to practice the skills they need to incrementally grow.
With the support of his friends, his family, and his colleagues, Mr. Bermudez has strived to help the students of Perseverance Preparatory School reach their academic goals and their utmost potential.
Due Hoang started his teaching career as a middle school math teacher in Fresno, California sixteen years ago. He didn’t know how it would be done, but he was determined to raise the bar and bring awareness to STEM education in the Central Valley. Armed with nothing except for his passion for working with students and his selfless dedication, Due set out to help educate the young minds and hopefully change their lives - one student at a time.
Through his educational career, Due has been very fortunate to have worn many hats. He has been a Math Teacher, a STEM Teacher, a Tennis Coach, a Robotics Coach, a STEM Director for Wonderful Education, and even the CTO of a STEM center. As a math teacher, Mr. Hoang wanted to make learning math fun and accessible to every student. It was not an easy task due to the preconceived notion that most struggling math students would have about math; it’s difficult to understand and there’s no use for it outside of the class. He would not only teach his students the math concepts, but immerse them in hands-on activities and challenges so that they can internalize and make sense of the math they’re learning. He wanted to make math relevant to their life. In certain math projects, students could be seen recording their bungee egg-drop data to create the line of best fit or even launching ping pong balls and tracking its location to formulate quadratic regressions. Students were having conversations about their challenging, but fun, math projects outside of the classroom and (surprisingly) even at a Starbucks group hangout. Knowing that not all of his students had access to the basic educational needs (Internet, a place to study, or even a time to study), Mr. Hoang changed the way his class was being taught - going from the “traditional” model where lectures were to be done in-class and homework were to be done at home to the “flipped” model where students were to listen to the lectures outside of class and do the actual work during class. He would spend extra hours of his own time preparing and recording curated lectures for each section and making them available to his students online and offline. The lectures were the student’s initial exposure to the content and the repeated in-class practice with his guidance would allow the student to safely make mistakes, learn from them, and eventually master the concept.
As much as he loves teaching math, Due Hoang is also very involved with STEM and robotics programs at school. He was given the opportunity to move onto high school and helped establish Fresno Unified’s very first high school Project Lead The Way STEM/Engineering program. In an effort to make STEM and robotics education accessible to his students, Mr. Hoang also formed, coached, and simultaneously managed two robotics teams: FIRST FRC and VEX Robotics. Both teams were called the Edison MindCraft. Over the course of the four years with both of the student-led teams, Due managed to rack up more than 1,600 volunteer hours which included weeknights and weekends meets. Robotics was his passion and robotics was his life. To Mr. Hoang, his STEM classes and robotics club always went hand-in-hand. Students get to apply in robotics what they’ve learned during their STEM class. Their learning had to be relevant and applicable for it to matter. Students quickly learned that being a part of a robotics team is just not about building robots, but about learning valuable life skills. Over the years, they were able to practice and fine-tuned their organization, communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking skills.
Mr. Hoang’s approach to teaching math, STEM, and robotics was very similar - he doesn’t do the work or the thinking for his students. Rather, he provides them a safe place, the time, and guidance to allow them to make mistakes and learn from them. Mr. Hoang builds rapport with the students and guides them to success. With his careful mentorship and robotics expertise, he allows each individual student to grow, be challenged, and learn at their own pace. He teaches every single student as if they were his own child. Mr. Hoang puts his heart and soul into everything he does to ensure that his students are successful. To most students, he is their teacher, coach, life mentor, and a great friend. The robotics lab would always be their second home.
Currently, Mr. Hoang is teaching his 5th year at Redwood Middle School in the Bay Area. Besides teaching the STEM electives and managing the MakerSpace, he is the teacher mentor of 8 VEX robotics teams, the Redwood Robotics, which serves over 90 middle school students. He also oversees another 7 parent-led FTC teams. His relentless work and dedication to making STEM and robotics education more accessible to his community has earned him the prestigious “CREATE US Open VEX National Mentor of the Year” award in 2019. Over the short few years, his robotics teams have won numerous awards at the local, state, and world level. This year, the majority of his teams have qualified for State, Nationals, and Worlds.
As a life-long educator, Mr. Hoang ensures the public that our future generations are in good hands and that they will be ready for anything that lies ahead. He wants to thank all of his colleagues, parents, students, and especially, his family for supporting him through his incredible journey thus far.
Jessica Holman has been called the heart of Rancho Cotate High School by students, colleagues, community members, and parents for several years. Her dedication to her alma mater high school and its students for the last 26 years has been unparalleled.
Selected as a 2021 Walt Disney Magic Maker for her commitment to her community, Jessica has proven her worth on a national level, but those in Rohnert Park have known for years that she puts her Cougar Community first.
Having taught college prep English for 22 years allowed Jessica to share her love of literature and teach multiple lessons from beloved pieces: To walk in another’s shoes before judgment (To Kill A Mockingbird); to never lose hope (Lord of the Flies); to reflect on life and make changes that could positively impact society (Fahrenheit 451); and, make your mark in society and be remembered for doing something substantial (Macbeth).
Jessica’s enthusiasm for philanthropy is contagious and her students appreciate giving back to their community. Jessica has made her mark as the Associated Student Body (Student Government/Leadership) Advisor at Rancho Cotate High School for over 15 years. She has overseen 20-30 students annually produce 18 canned food drives, totaling over 180,000 pounds of food donated to the local food pantry, Neighbors Organized Against Hunger (NOAH); and 4 blood drives per year, marking RCHS the leading blood donor high school north of the Golden Gate for almost two decades. Even during distance-learning, her Student Government was adamant about holding the canned food drive not once, but twice during the school year, gleaning over 4,000 pounds of food during the pandemic for NOAH, as well as holding 3 blood drives on campus, benefiting Vitalant and its patients. Students participating in these events will continue, as adults, to impact their society through philanthropy.
A highlight of Jessica’s career has been producing 20 Unity Weeks celebrating diversity and breaking barriers through presentation and performance. During a typical week of 65 presentations in four days, Jessica’s students use project based learning to produce, direct, book, fund, and promote assemblies to elevate acceptance of cultures to the student body. Student-chosen presentations have included origami lessons, Canine Companions, a student immigrant panel, the Gay Straight Alliance, Polynesian dancing, and yoga. One of Jessica’s most powerful moments during her career was introducing Dolores Huerta of the United Farm Workers to speak to the student body. The opportunity Unity Week brings to hundreds of students annually follows Atticus Finch’s advice to walk in another’s shoes before judgment.
Jessica’s students are well versed in her mantra to Figure It Out. They know that, to make their dream a reality, they need to mark the steps to completion, and sometimes the path isn’t clear. Jessica reminds them that the resources are there; to always ask questions (the worst anyone can say is “no”); obstacles create opportunities; and to never lose hope.
Jessica currently teaches a 3-tiered Hospitality, Management and Event course pathway (Intro/Advanced/Intern) which allows students to explore careers that reflect professional opportunities in our county and beyond. Core project-based curriculum includes a schoolwide carnival in the quad which raises money for local charities; and a hands-on wedding planner proposal, which includes vetting vendors specific to their couple’s needs, and a live presentation of the proposal. Curriculum also includes planning, budgeting, and designing a neighborhood park with safety features and diverse play structures for all ages and abilities, as well as interning with the City of Cotati’s Recreation Department, showcasing not only hands-on curriculum, but real-life based projects which can be used in any future career.
Jessica’s life motto is: You have to play to win. Take opportunities. Choose to live your life. Fill your mind with memories, because winning, in the end, is being able to reflect on all one’s accomplishments, adventures, and experiences. Creating school culture for 26 years is Jessica’s game, and she has played to win.
Ask folks in the Bancroft Middle School community, and they will tell you that Deanna Slaton is fun, fair, and fierce. On any given day, you will see Deanna walking through the hallways sharing smiles, high-5s, and jokes. But while she might be light-hearted in her demeanor, she is deeply committed to her profession and consistently goes above and beyond to connect with her students, while also delivering curricula that are relevant, meaningful, and engaging. The strong relationships she builds, and her genuine belief in the capacity of each child, is part of what makes her special and what sets her apart.
Deanna began her teaching career at Bancroft sixteen years ago as a Physical Education teacher and a track and field coach. Her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit not only enhanced the department, but impacted the entire school. She launched school-wide competitions with award ceremonies that created buy-in and excitement across campus. She established learning communities where students would rotate to different teachers based on their interests and learning needs. In one particular learning community she led, students received instruction and guidance regarding hygiene, self-image, body image, and harassment. More recently, Deanna has led the charge in finding inclusive ways to support and honor non-binary students – an area that has historically been overlooked.
But Deanna’s school-wide impact was not limited to physical activity. She started Bancroft's school-wide College Days Program to expose and educate students to higher education opportunities. Three years ago, Deanna played an instrumental role in establishing a peer program on campus, and she has been teaching this elective for the last three years. In her Peer Advocates class, students undergo extensive training so they are able to provide check-ins on others, mediate conflict, handle mistreatment on campus, and teach their peers how to ask for help in times of need.
COVID-19 and distance learning were challenging for all, but Deanna’s ability to connect to her students was the lifeline that enabled so many of them to successfully weather an unprecedented and difficult year. She began remote learning by delivering goodie bags to her students’ homes and meeting their families (outside and at a distance of six feet, of course!). Following the death of George Floyd, one of Deanna’s students told her, “Being Black is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The only place I feel safe, besides home, is in our class.” She was called to action and subsequently, Deanna and her class put together Black Lives Matter “support and healing” kits for every Black student on campus. The kits included various BLM swag, journaling notebooks, affirmation cards, mindfulness activities, PPE, and sweet treats.
Deanna not only teaches a peer advocate class, but practices what she preaches by consistently embracing leadership opportunities amongst her own peer group. Last year, six staff members, including Deanna, began a social justice group, which designed a transformative staff development series committed to anti-racist and inclusive education. Additionally, she is a new teacher induction coach for Alameda County, providing mentorship and support to the next generation of teachers who will follow in her footsteps.
Instead of resting during the summer months, Deanna continues to provide learning and health opportunities to those in the community. In 2015, she started her own nonprofit, PlayOn Youth Association. It is a summer academy that uses physical activity as a vehicle to develop interpersonal and communication skills for kids ages 5-13 years. Deanna continues to pursue the growth of this organization alongside all of her lifelong teaching goals and dreams.
Growing up, Alexandra Toledo always had an interest in science, and from a young age she would say “I want to be a scientist when I grow up!” Little did she know that upon graduating from college, she would be teaching Chemistry at Fremont High School.
Alexandra started her teaching career in 2015 after earning her teaching credential at Mills College, where she was also conferred her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Master of Arts in Education with an Emphasis in Teaching. Her love for teaching started in the summer of 2012 when she was the Resident Assistant (RA) and Chemistry Teacher’s Assistant (TA) for the Hellman Math and Science Program, hosted by Mills to support students pursuing an education in STEM. Her responsibilities included supporting student understanding of Chemistry concepts by hosting workshops and being a point person for academic advice. Her experience connecting with and guiding students through this program ultimately solidified her ambition to become a teacher.
Since 2015, Alexandra has been committed to improving Fremont students’ chemistry experience by ensuring access to high quality science education that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In order to support this effort, Alexandra has participated in various professional development opportunities that support her to evolve her curriculum to increasingly include phenomenon-anchored, inquiry-based instruction and engagement strategies that best support students. This work started early on in her teaching career when she was invited to be a part of Oakland Unified’s NGSS-aligned curriculum writing team for Chemistry. Today, she extends her learning through a Chemistry curriculum pilot in partnership with OpenSciEd. To further support access to a rigorous science education, Alexandra currently coaches newer chemistry teachers at her site to ensure that students receive a rigorous, equitable chemistry education.
Students would describe Ms. Toledo as a teacher who they can rely on for support and guidance both inside and outside of the classroom. Alexandra’s unparalleled passion for not only teaching but listening and connecting with her students is unique and valued greatly by the Fremont community. She promotes an inclusive and fun learning environment but knows how to keep the classroom in order so that every student can be heard. Her students know that they have a safe space to work or ask questions during class, and they know that Ms. Toledo is available to support them beyond class time. Fremont students really appreciate seeing their teachers outside of the classroom and Alexandra is often found on the sidelines cheering her students on at sporting events and is no stranger to chaperoning a dance. In fact, on multiple occasions, students have enthusiastically said, “Hi Ms Toledo!” at events just to then have a conversation about it later during school or comment “Hey Ms Toledo, I saw you at the game on Friday!”
Alexandra has loved teaching in Oakland for the past seven years and feels lucky to have found a school community that she can sincerely call family. She wholly commits herself to her career as an educator, dedicating countless hours to her students as she embodies the belief that being a teacher doesn’t stop with the end of a school day or even the end of a school year. Alexandra just hopes that the time she has with each of her students leaves a lasting impact on their lives beyond graduation, much in the way that they have irrevocably impacted hers for the better.
