2023 Award Winners

USS Midway, CCEA Awards Gala 2021
Congratulations to all our awardees this year!

Our new 2023 Model Schools will be honored and presented in person at the Gala dinner on Friday, April 27th.

Professional awards, exemplary programs and our student contest winners will be honored in person at the Awards luncheon on Saturday, April 28th. We’re proud to announce these winners below (please scroll down) and honor them in person at the luncheon in San Diego.

Get tickets here for these two award ceremonies.

For details on the entire 2023 Conference weekend and all the special events, please visit the main Conference page.



2023 CCEA Plus Exemplary Programs

Abraxas High School’s Abraxas Garden
Abraxas High School’s Culinary Program
Abraxas High School’s SAVE Promise Club
Citrus High School’s Advisory Program
Milor Continuation High School’s The Manhood Project
Ortega High School’s Academic Intervention Program
Palomar High School’s Orientation Program
Tierra Del Sol Continuation High School’s Intervention Program
Valley High School’s VHS Learning Studio


2023 State Regional Award Honorees

Administrators of the Year
  • Region 1: Edrina Fraijo, Slover Mountain High School
  • Region 1: Dr. Kyla Griffin, Milor Continuation High School
  • Region 2: Rocio Cantu, Nueva Continuation High School
  • Region 2: Glynda Maddaleno, Delta High School
  • Region 3: Apolinar Marroquin, Citrus High School
Classified Employee of the Year
  • Region 1: Angela Vandervelde, Ortega High School
  • Region 1: Edwin Carranza, Milor Continuation High School
  • Region 2: Christa Burton, Kern High District Office
  • Region 2: Maria Sonora, John R. Wooden High School
  • Region 3: Olga Cornejo, New School Community Day School
  • Region 4: Mary Barrs, Robertson Continuation High School
  • Region 4: Kelly Estes, Del Amigo High School
Counselor or Support Person of the Year
  • Region 1: Kim Bodie, Valley High School
  • Region 1: Tania Carrillo, Frontier High School
  • Region 2: Jacqueline Gonzalez, Sierra High School
  • Region 2: Juan Garcia, Renaissance High School
  • Region 3: Christine Wegner, Kaweah High School
  • Region 3: Alba Garza, Alta Vista High School
  • Region 4: Carrie Buchek, Olympic High School
  • Region 4: Alissa Kruse, Del Amigo High School
SRO Officer of the Year
  • Region 1: Olga Gonzalez, Santana High School
  • Region 2: Dawayne Graves, Tierra Del Sol Continuation High School
  • Region 3: Adriana Nave, John J. Cairns Continuation High School
Superintendent of the Year
  • Region 1: Brinda Leon, Brea Canyon High School
Teacher of the Year
    • Region 1: Myron Kwai, Valley High School
    • Region 1: Karin Lee, Mountain View High School
    • Region 2: Julie Gibson, Tierra Del Sol Continuation High School
    • Region 2: Matthew Sims, Maple High School
    • Region 4: Elizabeth McDonagh, Prospect High School
  • Region 4: Jill Zapata, Sierra Continuation High School

2023 Student Winners

Student Essay Contest Winners

1st: Jasmine Rodriguez, Slover Mountain High School
2nd: Isabel Cisneros, Valley High School
3rd: David Arias, Frontier High School

Student Art Contest Winner

Casey Andres Ruiz, WASCO Independence High School
Featured on the cover of the 2023 Conference program


Exemplary Program Update

New School Community Day School’s TENTH Outdoor School & Character Development program kicked off successfully, Thursday, April 13, 2023. Please see the schedule below for remainder of program, as well as their press release for more information.

New School’s OS&CD program was recognized by CCEA Plus as an Exemplary Program in 2020. We’re incredibly proud of their continued work and success! See photos of the program in action (on Instagram). 

Day 1 — Thursday, April 13 — Mother Nature’s Temple Kickoff – Hiking, Team Building, Painting, Welding, Archery
Day 2 — Thursday, April 20 — Monterey Bay Aquarium – Labs
Day 3 — Thursday, May 4 — MNT Whale Watching/Canoes
Day 4 – Thursday, May 11 — Slough Cleanup and Water Labs
Day 5 — Thursday, May 18 — MNT Canoes/Whale Watching
Day 6 — Thursday, May 25 — MNT End of Program Celebration
Day 7 — Friday, June 2 — Incentive Field Trip – Six Flags

Have an update about your program?  Send it to us!