Diamond Bar, CA. Walnut Valley USD’s District Teacher of the year, Jennifer Alcazar, says, “Excellence in the classroom is an expectation and a norm. In many places, individual schools boast a handful of exceptional educators. Rather than a handful of teachers being excellent, they all are excellent at Chaparral Middle School. For this reason, being selected as Teacher of the Year among these ‘super giants’ is a truly humbling and exciting experience.” A 14-year teaching veteran and graduate of Loyola Marymount University, L.A., she has a Science credential and Master’s degree underway at Concordia University. She has achieved success through working in 3 districts, being co-director of the California Science Project at UC Irvine, a co-lecturer in BioSci (UC Irvine), through instructing at Loyola Marymount, serving on the school’s Leadership Team, serving as a Site Council and Safety Committee member in the Santa Ana USD and as the Science Department Chair and Technology Liaison to the District, being a BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) provider and a Trainer of Trainers in technology. Jennifer has been a workshop presenter at the California League of Middle Schools Conference and at the UC Irvine Science, Assessment, and Classroom Management Conferences. She volunteered in Santa Ana as a coach in track, volleyball, and with the Science Olympiad Pentathlon Program and Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement Program (MESA). The Chinese philosopher, teacher and political theorist Confucius is quoted as saying, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Ms. Alcazar says, “This quote guides my beliefs in my classroom. As a secondary science teacher, it is imperative that I am able to translate complex material into a form that students can engage with, enjoy, and ultimately assimilate into their knowledge base.”