Del Mar Union School District receives California School Boards Association 2017 Golden Bell Award

The Del Mar Union School District was recently honored by the 38th Annual Golden Bell Awards Program of the California School Boards Association (CSBA), according to a press release.

The award was won in the Professional Development and Teacher Recruitment/Retention category for Improving Student Mathematical Understanding through Sustained Professional Learning under the direction of Shelley Petersen, assistant superintendent of Instructional Services, Dinah Brown, coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, and Rachel Matteson, 2nd grade teacher at Del Mar Hills Academy.

The highly respected Golden Bell Awards were presented in a special ceremony during CSBA’s Awards Reception and Ceremony at the Marriott Marquis San Diego on Nov. 30.

The event is held every year in conjunction with the California School Boards Association’s Annual Education Conference.CSBA recognized “Del Mar USD’s Improving Student Mathematical Understanding program has been markedly transformed by a highly effective, strategic approach to professional development – the district’s Professional Development Model for Conceptually Based Mathematics. Del Mar USD’s model has been recognized by universities throughout the nation for its job-embedded, multiyear approach to developing teachers’ knowledge and skill in mathematics. For the last six years, all teachers and principals have engaged in extensive learning about children’s thinking, aligned to the implementation of the California Common Core State Standards and Mathematical Practices.”

The CSBA Golden Bell Awards program promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education throughout California. The Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of the education programs necessary to address students’ changing needs. The goal of this awards program is to contribute to the development and evaluation of curriculum, instruction and support services, the press release stated.

(In photo above, l-r) Rachel Matteson, 2nd grade teacher, Del Mar Hills Academy; Steve Cochrane, Ph.D., governing board of trustees member; Cathy Birks, assistant superintendent of Business Services; Shelley Petersen, assistant superintendent of Instructional Services; Holly McClurg, Ph.D., superintendent; Erica Halpern, governing board of trustees member; Doug Rafner, Esq., governing board of trustees president; Kristin Gibson, governing board of trustees clerk.