West Sonoma County Teacher of the Year Awards

The Sebastopol Rotary Education Foundation funds the Teacher of the Year Awards.

The goal of these awards is to recognize the skills and dedication of West County teachers who engage our children and provide the kind of education experience that will be the foundation for a productive and happy life.

Starting in 2020, we changed our selection criteria.  There are now four (4) awards:

• New Teacher (5 years or less of teaching experience)

• Innovative/Collaborative Teacher(s) 

• Career Service Teacher (more than 5 years of teaching experience)

Each year the Education Foundation asks parents, teachers, administrators, students, and community members associated with every elementary and secondary school in West County to nominate teachers who have had a great career, who have shown promise in their first three years in the profession and who have championed innovations that have improved instruction or school life.

The winners are:

• Career Service Teacher of the Year: Joscelyn Mountain-Tuller.  Joscelyn teaches 8th grade science at Willowside Middle School.  According to her Principal Dani Barese, "Joscelyn has mastered the art of keeping students engaged with slick transitions and community building.  Students are constantly moving in her 8th grade science classes, working on creative labs and making projects.  Joscelyn is always looking for ways to engage students and even spearheaded multiple field trips for the entire 8th grade class of 150 students; a full day trip to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and a night trip to Robert Ferguson Observatory. She is also a campus pioneer of the Grading For Equity initiative as well as the Yearbook Coordinator.  Every spirit day, she can be seen decked out in her swag and kicking it with the students.  Joscelyn is a veteran teacher in a new teacher disguise.  Teaching just comes to her instinctually; she knows how to connect and build relationships that matter."​

• New Teacher of the Year: Sarah Piccolo.  Sarah has been teaching Culinary Arts at Analy High School for the last two (2) years. According to Principal Chuck Wade, "she is a invaluable part of the Analy community as a dynamic and passionate Culinary Arts Teacher.  With a natural gift for making students feel seen and valued, she fosters an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where all learners can thrive.  Sarah's curriculum is deeply connected to students' lives beyond school, incorporating real-world applications that make learning meaningful.  She engages students with hands-on experiences that spark creativity, critical thinking and collaboration, while also preparing them for careers in the hospitality industry." 

• Innovative Teachers of the Year:  Stacey O'Donnell and Beth desRosier teach 4th grade at Parkside School.  Their administrators shared they are committed to student engagement through living history and experiential learning opportunities.  Students experience historically accurate opportunities of daily living, including fishing, cooking, tending gardens, becoming artisans, acting as clerks and being part of the militia to recreate daily life at the fort.  Student engagement is important to these two and they have been known to transform their classrooms into airlines, surgical suites, carnivals, boat simulators, covered wagons, coffee shops, the ocean floor and a town hall space.  In the day to day classroom, this dynamic duo works diligently to meet the needs of all of their students.  They do not work independently behind their classroom door, they collaborate extensively and share students to ensure that each student's need are being met.   In addition to academics, both teachers specialize in restorative practices and empowering young students to use strategies to become strong citizens.

​

​Each winner of the award receives $1000 for their personal use.  In addition, all of the teachers will be recognitions on several occasions: First, they were surprised by Foundation Members who went to schools to surprise the winners with the announcement of their award.  Then, all the winners came to a Rotary Club meeting where they were introduced and praised for their dedication to the teaching profession. The teachers will ride in convertible cars following the Rotary Float  In addition, this year all the 2025 Teachers of the Year will be recognized at the Rotary 100 Year Community Celebration on Sunday, May 25, 2025 at Ives Park in Sebastopol.

A special thank you to all who took the time to submit a nomination, including those of you who are involved in and support the education of our youth.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

          Pictured left to right: Stacey O'Donnell, Innovative Teacher of the Year

        Joscelyn Mountain-Tuller, Career Teacher of the Year, Beth des Rosiers,

         Innovative Teacher of the Year, Mia Del Prete, Teacher of the Year Chair,

                                   and Sara Piccolo, New Teacher of the Year 

​