Florin High School math teacher named California Teacher of the Year

Tim Smith, a math, Algebra I and AP statistics teacher at Florin High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District, has been selected as one of five recipients of the California Teacher of the Year 2014 award. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson also selected Smith as California's only representative in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

Previously, Elk Grove Unified has had two teachers selected as California Teachers of the Year: Jean McDaniel (1983) and Vicky Vigario (1995).

In August 2013, Smith was selected as one of two Sacramento County Teachers of the Year. He was also selected as one of two EGUSD Teachers of the Year in May 2013. Donna McNeel, activities director and reading and social sciences teacher at Katherine L. Albiani Middle School, was also chosen as an EGUSD Teacher of the Year.

Smith has been an employee of Elk Grove Unified since 2001.  He has spent his entire Elk Grove Unified career teaching at Florin High School. Smith grew up on a small farm in northern Florida and was the first in his family to graduate high school. Prior to his start in teaching, he spent several years as a member of the Florida and California National Guard and pursued various jobs in the private industry. His interest in teaching began while attending community college, where he pursued a two-week opportunity to substitute for his old fourth grade teacher. Fifteen years would pass by the time he decided to become a student again and complete his bachelor's degree. This would serve as the catalyst to reignite a passion for education that he carries in to the classroom every day. He seized every opportunity to be in the classroom, spreading his passion for education, and continues to help students reach their full potential.

The California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to acknowledge the growing complexity of challenges faced by the profession and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to address challenges. The program is also designed to encourage new teachers to enter the field.

The competition is open to educators teaching pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners through their regional Teachers of the Year competitions. A state selection committee reviews candidates' applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers' rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, and teaching methods, among other criteria. The teachers are interviewed at the California Department of Education in Sacramento. The State Superintendent then selects the awardees.

The 2014 California Teachers of the Year, the finalists, and semi-finalists will be honored by Torlakson at a gala to be held February 3, 2014. For more information about the California Teachers of the Year Program, click here.

A one-of-a-kind, soon-to-be LEED certified classroom, designed by students, for students, was unveiled  on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at Cosumnes Oaks High School. This classroom takes the shape of a "house of the future" - complete with living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, laundry closet and garage. 

Called "rHOUSE" (short for Resource House), this unique facility demonstrates sustainable building methods and provides a living laboratory for students from the Cosumnes Oaks High School's Architectural Design & Engineering Academy. rHOUSE expects to soon receive its LEED for Homes Platinum Certification and will be the first such building used for a classroom in California. The building also meets all of the instructional, accessibility, structural and life-safety requirements as a state-approved school building. 

The rHOUSE provides a home-like laboratory for student projects, comparisons and studies, including building techniques, energy and water efficiency, materials and indoor air quality, along with serving as a fully functional classroom. Solar water heating, solar photovoltaic systems, geothermal heating and cooling and other green systems are in place for students to study and analyze. Students will lead tours and describe the many features of the rHOUSE.

This project started as a dream of Tim McDougal, coordinator of the Architectural Design & Engineering Academy. In 2009, that dream became a reality when he secured a $100,000 grant from Lowe's Charitable & Educational Foundation, which kick-started the program, allowing students to research sustainable building techniques and strategies, develop the preliminary floor plan and to recently complete the xeriscape landscaping.

Elk Grove Unified School District's (EGUSD) Facility and Planning division enlisted a number of community, public, and private partners, including Rainforth-Grau Architects, who donated materials and their time to ensuring the project's success.

The Architectural Design & Engineering Academy is committed to providing each student with an exceptional education through core subjects that are integrated with Career Technical Education (CTE) lab classes in engineering and building trades. This academy approach links students' high school experience to career fields and higher education goals. The academy's focus is on connecting learning with sustainable, eco-friendly design.  Some of the CTE courses are aligned with curriculum standards at Cosumnes River College where students can receive transferable credits.

For more information and images detailing rHOUSE, visit the project's website at: http://blogs.egusd.net/rhouse/.