LAKE COUNTY— Rena Roush, Lead Teacher at the Kelseyville Learning Academy in the Kelseyville Unified School District (KVUSD), has been named Lake County Teacher of the Year 2022.
“Rena Roush is the reason the Kelseyville Learning Academy (KLA) is so successful,” said Dr. Nicki Thomas, Assistant Superintendent, KVUSD. “She excels at developing positive relationships with students and families.”
Roush received notification of the honor on Friday, May 6, during Teacher Appreciation Week. Her students, colleagues, and family members gathered at the KVUSD district office as Brock Falkenberg, Lake County Superintendent of Schools, presented a surprised Roush with her Teacher of the Year plaque and flowers.
Roush was chosen as the KVUSD Teacher of the Year in March. In late April, Roush participated in an interview at the Lake County Office of Education. She was chosen from a group of four other Lake County District Teachers of the Year to represent Lake County at the California Teacher of the Year competition this fall.
The other District Teachers of the Year 2022 include:
- Kacy Mitchell — Konocti Unified School District
- Farrah Alameda — Lakeport Unified School District
- Scott Ferguson — Middletown Unified School District
- Paul Holt — Upper Lake Unified School district
Roush became a teacher after her high school counselor called her into his office to suggest it as a career path, telling Roush she’d make a great teacher. Roush says, “Since then, I have valued and appreciated my career choice.”
Roush has spent most of her teaching years working in alternative education settings. The Kelseyville Learning Academy is a home study and long-term independent study program.
Before this assignment, Roush spent many years teaching at the Lakeport Alternative School, a home study program offered through Lakeport Unified School District.
Roush feels fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with students and parents in achieving academic and personal goals through one-on-one instruction.
“I am privileged to have witnessed the success of many students, who struggled academically, socially, and emotionally in the “traditional” classroom setting, grow in self-confidence, learn to apply useful study skills, and effectively implement self-management tools for life,” said Roush.
Roush is also proud of facilitating work experience and apprenticeship programs with local businesses and coordinating dual-enrollment courses for her students at the local community colleges.
“Her students maintain high levels of attendance, engagement, and academic achievement,” said Thomas. “Rena is a master teacher by all definitions.”
Members of the interview panel included: Cynthia Lenners, Deputy Superintendent of Schools; Michelle Mackey, Lake County Teacher of the Year 2021; Jennifer Kelley, former Lake County and California Teacher of the Year; Alan Siegel, former Lake County and California Teacher of the Year; and Judy Fletcher, representing the California Retired Teachers Association.
Lake County has had three California Teachers of the Year in the last 17 years. Erica Boomer from Upper Lake Unified School District was named a California Teacher of the Year 2019. Jennifer Kelly from the Middletown Unified School District received the honor in 2011, and Alan Siegel from Konocti Unified School District received the honor in 2005.
Brock Falkenberg, Lake County Superintendent of Schools, acknowledges Lake County teachers’ high success rate in the California Teacher of the Year program. “Our Lake County students are being served well by some of the best teachers in our state. That’s awe-inspiring.”
The Lake County Teacher of the Year program is administered through the Lake County Office of Education and the California Department of Education. For more information about Rena Roush and the Lake County District Teachers of the Year, please visit lakecoe.org/TOY.
