Superintendent Paul Cruz surprised four teachers during their virtual faculty meeting today to announce their selection as Austin ISD's 2020 Teachers of the Year for elementary and secondary schools.

Being selected as a Teacher of the Year is one of the highest honors the district bestows on AISD educators.

"This semester has been a difficult one, and it has given our teachers and students a chance to demonstrate their genius in different ways," Superintendent Paul Cruz said. "During this time, it's more important than ever to recognize our teachers for their hard work and heart work in preparing our students for college, career and life." 

The Texas Teacher of the Year Program, which is facilitated by the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Education Agency, recognizes teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching.

Two elementary school teachers were chosen, along with a middle school and a high school teacher. From these, an elementary and secondary teacher will be selected as AISD Teacher of the Year.

AISD's 2020 Teachers of the Year are: 

Area 1 Elementary School Teacher of the Year
Sandy Chilton, Uphaus Early Childhood Center

Sandy Chilton, a kindergarten teacher at Uphaus Early Childhood Center, is in her 14th year of teaching. 

Chilton believes her most significant contribution to education is cultivating a strong, positive connection between the school and her students' families.

"Parents are my partners in the effort to promote their child's academic success, and I find they want to be engaged in their child's learning," Chilton said. "Parents bring their own talents and skills that help our classroom community learn."

Collaboration with colleagues is also important to Chilton. She shares best practices and advocates for young children in her community and across the country. She also provides hands-on experiences for teachers to design and practice new teaching strategies for their students. 

Chilton was Campus Teacher of the Year 2020 at Uphaus ECC, Texas Classroom Teacher of the Year 2019, Bilingual Professional of the Year 2017 Austin AABE, Campus Teacher of the Year 2009 at Lucy Read, and won Anita Uphaus Award of Excellence 2017.

Area 2 Elementary School Teacher of the Year
Emily Galindo Placette, Wooten Elementary School

Emily Galindo Placette, a bilingual kindergarten teacher at Wooten Elementary School, is in her ninth year of teaching. 

Placette believes in a public, equitable education as a right for every child. She works to lessen the achievement gap for students with low socio-economic backgrounds through advocacy.

She has utilized DonorsChoose to create an engaging, inviting classroom for her students and assisted other teachers in fully funding their projects. Since 2017, Placette has raised over $17,000 in DonorsChoose donations, providing books, technology devices, weighted objects for sensory needs, hands-on learning centers for students and more.

"These additional resources have assisted me and my colleagues in delivering quality, differentiated instruction to meet each student's individual needs," Placette said.

Placette has also led numerous initiatives outside her classroom including a third through fifth grade cheerleading team and a kindergarten through first grade cycling club.

Middle School Teacher of the Year
Liliana Barrientos, Mendez Middle School

Liliana Barrientos, a seventh grade ELA teacher at Mendez Middle School, is in her seventh year of teaching.

As the Mendez Middle School ELAR Department Chair, Barrientos has served as the instructional leader for the department and overseen the implementation of research-based instructional practices in all classrooms.

She knew Mendez Middle School was where she belonged from her first semester there as a tutor to seventh-grade ELA students. The following summer, she was hired full time and has a long record of building trust and transformative relationships with her students at Mendez. 

"I have seen introverted kids transform into social butterflies," she said. "I have witnessed struggling readers own the basketball court. I have heard a student with dyslexia play the guitar, and I have helped a reluctant writer find their voice."

High School Teacher of the Year
Armin Salek, Akins High School

Armin Salek, a high school Law teacher at Akins High School, is in his fifth year of teaching.

Through his journey of becoming a lawyer, Salek saw that it took a team to get him to the point of walking the stage. He transitioned to education so he could provide similar opportunities to other students. 

At Akins, Salek created an innovative legal curriculum and he established Eagle Aid with the help of a group of seniors. Eagle Aid is the first high school legal aid clinic in the country where students gain legal experience and feel empowered to help others in their community. 

"When students leave my internship, they leave as members of the board of directors of an established nonprofit, student attorneys in the only high school legal aid clinic in the country, mock trial champions, and the beneficiaries of a robust legal curriculum that introduces South Austin students to what most attorneys do not learn until their mid-twenties," Salek said.

Photos of the teachers can be found here.