The Livermore Management Association, which is made up of several district administrators, recently recognized Spanish teacher Irene Lucero of East Avenue Middle School as the 2023 Teacher of the Year during an awards breakfast.

East Avenue principal, Jesse Hansen, expressed words of gratitude at the ceremony about having Lucero on his staff.

"There is the kind of life in her classroom that does not come from the particular lesson on that day, but from good lessons being delivered week after week, in an environment in which students know they are intellectually and emotionally safe," he said.

Lucero will also be recognized as a district-level Teacher of the Year award winner at the Alameda County Office of Education 34th Annual Teacher of the Year Awards Ceremony on Oct. 5 at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts.

During the Livermore awards breakfast, Carmen Perea-Tellez -- paraprofessional at Livermore High School -- was also recognized as the district's Classified Employee of the Year.

"Carmen can be seen on a daily basis offering her English learner (EL) students instructional support, fostering growth mindsets, helping them with personal problems, and working to resolve conflicts. She serves, in essence, as the Nexus central to clear communication between teachers/staff, students and families," Livermore High principal Helen Gladden said of Perea-Tellez during the event.

Perea-Tellez was also just recently named a California Classified Services Employee of the Year and will be honored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond at a luncheon in Sacramento next Tuesday.

A statement from the California Department of Education announcing the Classified School Employees of the Year describes Perea-Tellez as someone who is, "known throughout the community as one who strives to become better connected so she can provide greater support to students, families, and faculty/staff."

While working full-time as a bilingual instructional aide, serving as Livermore High's English learner coordinator, staying after school twice per week to provide tutoring to EL students and maintaining regular contact with EL students and families, Perea-Tellez also attends college as a full-time student. Her future goal is to become a school counselor, according to the district.