The Kremen School of Education and Human Development Alumni Chapter will honor four outstanding individuals who have served education for many decades during a banquet at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at the University Dining Hall at Fresno State.

The 2012 awardees are:

  • Dr. Janet Young, the superintendent of the Clovis Unified School District.
  • The Rev. Finian McGinn, OFM, Ed.D., a Franciscan priest, former Fresno Unified School District teacher and adjunct faculty at Fresno State.
  • Ruben Castillo, an administrator for Migrant Education in the Fresno County Office of Education.
  • Clement Renzi, a sculptor, presented posthumously.

“We selected four outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of education,” said Don Beauregard, president of the Kremen Alumni chapter. “Each honoree is clearly outstanding and deserves recognition for enhancing the quality of education in our Valley.”

Young will receive the Noted Alumni Award for significant contributions to education over a 30+-year career. She was a teacher, principal, district-level administrator and assistant superintendent of human resources before being appointed superintendent of Clovis Unified, the region’s second-biggest district. Young frequently is a presenter at conferences in California.

McGinn, whose five college degrees include philosophy, theology, Spanish and education, is the recipient of the Friend of Education Alumni Award for sustained impact on education. He has taught a variety of subjects including Spanish, Roman Catholic canon law, linguistics, bilingualism and multicultural theology. At Fresno State, he was director of bilingual education, established and taught Hmong classes and wrote bilingual and cross-cultural credential programs.

The Professional Alumni Service Award will honor Castillo’s leadership and commitment to migrant students, which has transformed the county education office’s Migrant Department, Beauregard said. “Under his leadership, his dedicated staff has given students and parents hope that their lives can and will be better if they participate in the program,” added Beauregard. “He makes them believe in themselves, their dreams and their families.”

The Kremen Noted Alumni Special Recognition Award honors Mr. Renzi, whose sculpture is in private collections and public settings – schools, government buildings and hospitals – throughout the region. At Fresno State, his works are in front of the Kremen Education Building and the Music Building. Mr. Renzi died in 2009.

The recognition banquet is open to the public. Tickets are $40 and available at the Kremen dean’s office or by calling 559.278.0249.