Just days before her first child is expected to arrive, Jeannette Aguilera, a third-grade teacher at Centralia Elementary School, had a surprise visit from a team of administrators — one official joking the visit should’ve probably included the school nurse.
In dramatic fashion, Orange County Superintendent Stefan Bean went to the front of the room and announced to all that Aguilera was one of six educators out of 20,000 teachers to earn the coveted title of Orange County Teacher of the Year.
Bean could barely get the words out before Aguilera’s students screamed and cheered for her.
“Get the tissues, Oscar,” she said to a boy standing nearby, as she became emotional and overwhelmed, clasping her face and wiping tears from her eyes.
In prize patrol fashion, Orange County Department of Education officials and representatives of the annual award’s sponsors visited six campuses on Thursday, surprising the winners and presenting them with a plaque topped with a bright red apple, gifts from sponsor SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, and a huge replica of a $25,000 check they will receive later this fall during a gala at the Disneyland Hotel funded by the Orange County Teachers of the Year Award Foundation, established by the William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation.
After receiving the award and thanking the school principal and district superintendent, Aguilera told her students that earning the title of “Teacher of the Year” meant they were “Students of the Year,” which drew boisterous cheers, hoots and a whole lot of prideful giggling.
The honorees will represent Orange County in the 2026 cycle for state and potentially national recognitions.
Here’s a look at this year’s winners:
Jeannette Aguilera
Centralia Elementary School in Anaheim; Centralia Elementary School District
Aguilera teaches third grade and has been teaching for a decade. She calls education her “passion” and makes a point to greet her students every day with fun high-fives, fist bumps or a personal handshake.
As a first-generation college graduate born to immigrant parents, she said she’s especially motivated in helping her students succeed.
“Education is not just my profession; it is my passion,” she said. “I am committed to the success of all students.”
Inside the classroom, Aguilera is big on collaboration.
In math, she uses tangible materials to make it easier for students, she said, and in reading lessons, students use “detective glasses” to help identify clue words. Above all else, Aguilera said she teaches that mistakes are not something to fear, but opportunities to grow. As part of that, she points out her own mistakes and demonstrates how she learned from them.
Outside of the classroom, Aguilera worked with her leadership team to establish the school’s first “Leadership Day,” which invites community members to take student-led tours showcasing leadership projects and other academic achievements.
Her husband, Benjamin Li, presented Aguilera flowers and had a huge grin as Bean and others praised his wife. The couple is expecting the birth of their first son on Monday, he said.
“She’s a guiding light in a dark room,” he said, describing her connection to the students. “She’s an extension of these kids’ families.”
Li said he manages local hotels in the area and has hired some of his wife’s students from earlier years.
“For some of these families, their kids are the first to go to college,” he said. “It’s all about representation, they see themselves in her.”
And that was just what Genesis Guillen, 8, said about her teacher.
“She’s inspiring me to teach,” she said. “She has talent, she makes teaching fun.”
Darcy Blake
Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts, Fullerton School District
Blake teaches seventh- and eighth-graders in English language arts, honors English and composition at Ladera Vista, where she’s been for 20 years.
In teaching writing, Blake said she makes it a goal for her students to understand themselves and the world around them through the written word.
In one lesson, she recalled, she had students close their eyes, remove their shoes while listening to a reflective essay about a walking tour of a Holocaust site. The activity, she said, was designed to prepare them to study the subject in greater depth.
“That desire to build empathy shows you love your students,” Bean said, emphasizing what she did in that lesson.
“Experiences like these build empathy and help students navigate challenging topics, shaping their role in creating a more inclusive, compassionate world,” Blake said.
“Thanks for always going with me and going over the finish line,” she told her students. “Thanks for always following me into every crazy thing I do.”
She also encourages students to share their work, she said, through local and national writing contests, including the Chapman Holocaust Art and Writing Contest. And, she teamed up with a colleague to develop a family history podcast project during remote learning. The assignment gave students a chance to connect with loved ones while strengthening their storytelling and research skills, she said.
Ruth Hanchett, a school board member and parent in the district, complimented Blake for giving students the “tools to grow.”
“My daughter is so much better now,” she said, discussing her daughter’s writing assignments. “Now, she says I know how to do this because Ms. Blake taught me.”
Beverly Berryman, the district’s board president, added, “There’s nothing that says ‘there are walls’ to your students.”
In addition to her teaching job, Blake served as the school’s chair for redesignation on the California Schools to Watch Program last year, reinforcing a culture of academic excellence.
Blake said her goal is to get the students to be able to think critically.
“If they don’t learn to think for themselves, how will they notice misinformation? So many people just listen for soundbites, I’m about depth,” she said. “Let comfortable be uncomfortable.”
Erin Bro
San Clemente High School, Capistrano Unified School District
Bro has been part of San Clemente’s Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, program for 15 years.
“Students who enter my classroom know they will spend the next four years with me,” Bro said. “Within the first week, they learn they will be treated as individuals who are valued and believed in, even if they don’t feel that way about themselves.”
She said she uses lectures, collaborative learning, and college-focused activities to energize her students.
She also serves as a districtwide director for the AVID program. In the program, she helps students learn greater confidence in their own abilities, develop college-ready habits and set future goals.
Among those students is Josue Mendez, 16.
“I’m really proud of her,” he said after watching the award presentation. “She gave me a chance for my future, so I can get into college.”
He said he hopes to study architecture because he likes to design and build things.
“She’s selfless and really caring,” Mendez added. “She makes sure we’re doing good.”
After taking over the program in 2011, the high school became the first AVID National Demonstration School in south Orange County and showcases best practices with schools across the state.
Bro has also led outreach efforts to fund college visits, SAT testing and “University 101” seminars, all at no cost to students. Under her guidance, all of her AVID students over the past 15 years have been admitted to college at a 100% acceptance rate.
An achievement Bean called “amazing.”
“The beautiful part about what I do is my ‘why’ gets reinforced over and over again with incredible students who continually demonstrate the grit to overcome hardships,” Bro said.
Tracy Havens
Hicks Canyon Elementary School in Irvine; Tustin Unified School District
Havens is a second-grade teacher who has been at Hicks Canyon for 20 years.
Her goal, she said, is to build a “positive classroom culture through daily morning meetings, social-emotional learning strategies like feelings journals and a calm corner, along with consistent routines that foster independence and confidence.”
“Being in my class means being part of a family,” Havens said. “We collaborate to develop a classroom culture that is nurturing, fun-loving and safe.”
An advocate for differentiated instruction and cross-curricular learning, Havens integrates cognitively guided instruction, or CGI, a research-based approach that focuses on how students think through math problems.
On Thursday, after her award presentation, a couple hundred students lined the playground for a clapout. With raucous music playing, she walked along, giving high-fives and hugging students and teachers. Some of the kids were in higher grades now, but remembered her from second grade.
“It means I’ve made a lasting impression on the kids,” she said.”It tells me what I’m doing goes beyond my classroom.”
Megan Lee
Loara Elementary School, Anaheim Elementary School District
Lee has been at Loara Elementary for nine years, and before switching to transitional kindergarten two years ago, taught a variety of combination classes.
Her teaching philosophy is centered around the importance of community and ensuring every student feels valued, she said.
To do that, she makes sure that kids learn each other’s names and address each other with kindness and respect, she said. At the end of each day, she sings a goodbye song with her students and makes sure they give each other goodbye hugs.
“Building community is my passion because of its profound impact on empowering others,” Lee said. “I am dedicated to living this mission in both my professional and personal life.”
On Thursday, her husband and two young daughters, Rachel, 6, and Abigail, 3, were there for the surprise presentation.
“Believe in your kids. They’re capable of so much more,” Lee said as she coached a table building words with playdough. “It’s also really important to partner with families.”
Together with a preschool colleague, she established a buddy system, pairing her TK students with younger preschoolers. Through reading, playing and drawing together, her TK students learn the importance of being positive role models and supporting others, she said.
Catherine Reinhardt-Zacair
Fullerton College, North Orange County Community College District
Reinhardt-Zacair has been teaching for nearly four decades. She joined the faculty at Fullerton College in 2015, teaching French.
She encourages her students to envision French as a means to pursue their dreams, she said. From their first day in French 101, learners are introduced to study abroad opportunities, paid internships and international teaching programs like the Teaching Assistant Program in France.
On Thursday, as she got her award, she announced that one of her students, Gregg Quint, would be going to France this summer for a teaching job.
“I’m elated,” he said, crediting Reinhardt-Zacair with her mentorship.
Another student in the French 101 class commended Reinhardt-Zacair for always being available.
“I ask a lot of questions and she always answers them,” Joseph Miller, 19, said. “She’s the best teacher I ever had.”
Among her language instruction, Reinhardt-Zacair said, is making sure her students understand what France is really like. She hosts a French Film Festival that includes other French vendors, like recently, a beret maker. She takes students to a French cheese shop in Fullerton, where they learn about food and culture. She also has them singing French songs.
“I love my students,” she said, ” that’s why I do what I do.”
