LOCAL CLASS CELEBRATES FOR TEACHER DAWNA COUNTRYMAN WINS STATEWIDE EDUCATION HONOR.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS  Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- Fifth-graders in Dawna Countryman's class at Tesoro Del Valle Elementary School will tell you she's the No. 1 teacher in California, full of enthusiasm, energy and fun-loving ways.

On Thursday, the state schools superintendent agreed, naming Countryman one of California's five Teachers of the Year.

``She makes everything fun and colorful and perfect. Nothing is ever boring,'' fifth-grader Chandler Stroh said.

Countryman and the four other winners, as well as semifinalists, will be honored Jan. 8 at a dinner in Sacramento.

The Saugus Union School District first selected Countryman as its Teacher of the Year, and then she was named one of the top-16 teachers in Los Angeles County. Judges visited her classroom and she was interviewed by a selection committee before she won the state honor.

``I am so excited to represent the state out at different events -- representing all the wonderful educators who teach in California,'' Countryman said.

On Thursday, she was in action at a musical rehearsal. She walked out with a cluster of kids who wouldn't let go -- hugging her and telling her they love her and wishing more teachers were like her.

``When I started school, I had trouble making friends with teachers, but Mrs. Countryman changed that,'' said Ally Minyard.

``She gives us a thirst for knowledge,'' 10-year-old Jaleel Howard said.

In her 19th year of teaching, Countryman still has endless energy. She advises the student council, organizes musical events for the school, raises funds and acts as a mentor.

``Every time I jump rope or start dancing, I think of Mrs. Countryman because if she sees you doing something fun and active, she will always kick off her shoes and join in,'' fifth- grader Josh Kelfer said.

School administrators said her nomination was a unanimous decision.

``She wants kids to love education, and she is a wonderful representative of all of our teachers in this district and embodies everything a teacher should be,'' Principal Mary McKeon said.

McKeon also expressed admiration for how Countryman extends the learning process beyond the classroom, as when she took her fifth-graders to the mall to sing holiday songs for shoppers.

``She is very proactive. She lets students know there is more out there and they need to know what their impact is.''

On the morning she was interviewed for the state honor, her grandmother died. She kept her thoughts on her students, whom she calls ``scholars,'' to keep her going. Two of her former students are her own two children, an 11-year old daughter and a 13-year-old son.

``When I see a student in a moment of success, or a year of success, that look of empowerment -- that's what teaching is about,'' Countryman said.

At a time when many teachers face increased student-performance standards and more testing, Countryman says she likes to focus on success, and the rest follows.

Her students have taken her lead.

``She makes me feel respected -- like I'm important, like I have a place in this world, too,'' student Ashwin Trisal said.

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Outside Tesoro Del Valle Elementary School in Valencia on Thursday, teacher Dawna Countryman is surrounded by fifth-grade students delighted she has been named one of five California Teachers of the Year.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer