News

Monday, August 10, 2009

San Marcos High School Teacher Phil Levien Named 2009-10 County Distinguished Educator

Following is an excerpt from last Thursday's Santa Barbara County Education Office announcement.

Philip Levien, an English and Performing Arts teacher at San Marcos High School in the Santa Barbara High School District, was named 2009-10 Santa Barbara County Distinguished Educator by County Superintendent of Schools William J. Cirone during the monthly meeting of the county board of education on Aug. 6.

Distinguished Educators comprise a category formed to acknowledge outstanding teachers in the Teacher of the Year awards program.

“Philip Levien exemplifies what is best in our profession,” said Superintendent Cirone. “We created the Distinguished Educators award as a means of paying tribute to the successes and the dedication that truly outstanding teachers display every day.”

The award was created as an outgrowth of the annual county Teacher of the Year award. This year, the selection committee, which included representatives of teachers, administrators, PTAs, and school boards, expressed strong feelings that the application and credentials of Levien were clearly Teacher-of-the-Year caliber. The committee members could only select one teacher to represent the county for the State Teacher of the Year award; but members felt strongly they should also acknowledge the excellence of this outstanding educator.