Six central San Joaquin Valley special education professionals will be honored and one will be presented the 2007 Carolyn Dobbs Special Education Teacher of the Year Award at a banquet at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 in the University Courtyard Dining Hall at California State University, Fresno.
The Dobbs Award is presented by the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State to recognize the importance of the work of special education professionals.
The 2007 Dobbs Award nominees are:
Carolee Clayton, teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, special day class, Ahwahnee Middle School, Fresno Unified School District
Tripat Grewal, special education teacher, Galen Clark Preschool, Merced County Office of Education
Laurie Hoke, orientation and mobility specialist, all Fresno County Special Education Local Plan Area schools, Fresno County Office of Education
Donna Niell, teacher, Gould Educational Center, Madera County Office of Education
Donna Sirimarco, department chair-special day classes/special education teacher, McLane High School, Fresno Unified School District
Andrea Smith, resource specialist, Clovis West High School, Clovis Unified School District
The nominees for the 2007 Dobbs Award represent many areas of Special Education practice; they epitomize the dedication of their peers to the goal of academic success for all children.
The annual Dobbs Award was created in 2005 by the Kremen School, honoring alumna Dr. Carolyn Dobbs, who dedicated her professional life to the advancement of special education for children.
She enriched the lives of many students as a teacher and supported the growth and development of thousands of teachers as editor and publisher of “The Pointer,” an international publication for special education professionals.
To acknowledge her global contributions to education, Dobbs was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Fresno State in 2004. Her achievements have been recognized by the White House, Congress and the California Legislature, among many others. She is retired and lives in Northern California.
For more information, contact Mona Nyandoro, 278-0393.
