Four incredible people who have dedicated their lives to education have been awarded “Teacher of the Year” at the schools where they teach.

Michael Paurowski, a special education teacher, has taught for over four decades, almost 20 years at Cathedral City Elementary School says he celebrates all progress, “Even the smallest successes that I see my students have make it that much more enjoyable for me.”

Bridgette Kennedy has taught for two decades, nine of them at James Workman Middle School in Cathedral City, she says she loves going to school everyday and bringing smiles to her students, ” I bring my passion of the outdoors and my passion of being physically active to my students every single day.”

Marty Verdugo has taught for 14 years, four of them at Nellie Coffman Middle School teaching social studies and coaching sports, he says for him teaching is more than book learning, “I try to bring my a game everyday to the kids and teach them about life and you know try to go beyond just academics.”

Karilyn Dangleis has taught for over two decades and is now the librarian at Cathedral City High School, she says her library is not a quiet zone, “I’m not a professional shusher, I like a little bit of noise in my library, I like it to be welcoming and open and a place where students can hang out and really to be the heart beat of the school.”

This recognition could lead to a bigger award, “Teacher of the Year” for the Palm Springs Unified School District.

“Knowing that my colleagues thought enough of me to present me with that honor this year it’s beyond amazing for me,” says Paurowski.

“It really made me feel honored,” says Kennedy.

“It came as a complete surprise, I didn’t even know I was nominated,” says Verdugo.

“It’s a huge honor, I was completely blown away that I was even nominated,” says Dangleis.

The winners are clearly the students.

Extraordinary Teachers Recognized