Orange Unified School District teacher wins top honor from continuation schools group

Orange Unified School District career technical education teacher Susan Damon was named as one of four 2018 Teacher of the Year by the California Continuation Educators Association.

Damon, a teacher at Richland Continuation High School, was chosen as the top teacher for the association’s Region 1, which includes the counties of Orange, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside and San Diego.

three women sit at a table holding flowers and a plaque
Susan Damon, right, was awarded the 2018 Teacher of the Year Prize from a continuation schools group.

“A big congratulations to Susan for her hard work and for always making a positive difference in the lives of our alternative education learners,” Richland Principal Elsie Briseno-Simonovski said in a news release.

“We are all very proud of the incredible efforts she put in to make Richland a great place for our students, particularly in the areas of increasing access and equity as we work towards preparing all students to be college and career ready,” she said.

The California Continuation Educators Association Teacher of the Year award is one of the top honors for alternative education/continuation teachers in California.

Damon was recognized last month at 2018 Awards Dinner Gala held at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

Richland was designated a California Model Continuation High School in 2017. The campus was recognized for its work among staff, students and parents to work in collaboration for the purpose of helping students graduate from Richland or return to their traditional high schools to graduate with enhanced credits.