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Published November 19th, 2014
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Eukel Teacher Trust to Honor Contra Costa Teachers, Nov. 20
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| Two Lamorinda teachers among three honored |
| Submitted by Alan Plutzik |
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Three teachers who educate and inspire with creative and effective teaching methods will be honored at the 23rd annual Warren W. Eukel Teacher Trust Awards Dinner. Stanley Middle School science teacher Michael Meneghetti, Campolindo High School social studies teacher Paul Verbanszky and St. Francis of Assisi School first grade teacher Karen Kreider Short are the trio of outstanding instructors honored this year. Each will receive a check for $10,000 that they can spend however they wish.
Michael Meneghetti has been a teacher for more than 30 years. He says children are natural born scientists who thrive when given hands-on activities to study science. He's well known for his Albonian Mystery Box, Magnetic Levitation Train and experiments such as putting Alka Seltzer and tap water in clear sandwich bags to watch the bags expand and the water turn colder.
Paul Verbanszky has been a teacher for 13 years, the past 10 at Campolindo High. He uses "real world" projects such as the Presidential Campaign Simulation to bring civics home to his students. He also helps coordinate the district's GATE program and has coached Campolindo's Academic Decathlon team, which has captured the national championship in the mid-school division the past two years.
Karen Kreider Short has been in the education field for a quarter century, 14 years as a teacher. In her classroom, she uses puppets, songs and a secret wave to help her first graders learn their lessons. Kreider Short has a colorful, visual classroom with student art projects and academic work hanging from wires above the students' desks. Her positive, cheerful approach instills confidence in her students.
The Eukel Teacher Trust's 2014 Awards Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Diablo Country Club. Renowned food and wine expert Narsai David will collaborate with premier Contra Costa County restaurants - Esin Restaurant & Bar, Faz, Prima Ristorante, Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar, Yankee Pier, Diablo Country Club, and the Contra Costa College Culinary Arts Program, each of which will contribute a course to the dinner. Terry Koehne will serve as master of ceremonies. The awards dinner is open to the public.
The Warren W. Eukel Teacher Trust, a community-based nonprofit, annually honors outstanding K-12 classroom teachers in Contra Costa County. The award winners are selected each year from teachers nominated by teaching colleagues, principals, parents and students. The Eukel Teacher Trust is funded by contributions from area businesses and community members. Since its inception in 1992, the Eukel Teacher Trust has made cash awards totaling over $540,000 to 64 Contra Costa County teachers.
Tickets for the dinner are $175 per person (of which $87.50 is a tax-deductible contribution) or $1,750 for a table of 10. For further information or to purchase tickets, call (925) 945-0200 or visit www.eukelteachertrust.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA