Four honored as teachers of the year

Andrew Edwards

Four high school teachers were honored this month for their service

to students in the Huntington Beach Union High School District.

Two winners each were named for Teacher of the Year and First-Year

Teacher of the Year. The winners were chosen by the district’s

principals and recognized by the school board on April 20.

Speech and Language Specialist Rose Haunreiter of Huntington Beach

High School and English teacher David Lindquist, who works for

Westminster High, won the Teacher of the Year awards.

Haunreiter, who was nominated by Huntington Beach High School’s

administrative team, has served as chair or co-chair of the Oilers’

special education department for the past 10 years. She also serves

as the advisor of the school’s United Cultural Club and started

International Peace Week at the high school.

Despite winning the award, Haunreiter said she prefers working

behind the scenes to basking in the public’s praise.

“I don’t know if the awards are such a big deal, as much as what

the kids have to say,” she said.

She specializes in teaching language and communication skills to

students who have trouble expressing themselves to the rest of the

world.

“We’re working on some of those skills to get them more

mainstreamed,” she said.

Part of her work takes her out of the classroom. She takes

students from area high schools on monthly outings to help them

socialize and relate better to other people. The teenagers she brings

along for these activities have Asperger Syndrome, and tend to be

very withdrawn and wary of social activity.

“It’s really fun and I’ve met a lot of friends,” said 17-year-old

Kristin Wilcox, a junior at Marina High School.

The First-Year Teacher of the Year winners were Jennifer Park, a

history teacher at Marina High School, and special education teacher

Kim Dalebroux from Edison High School.

Park’s parents are Christian missionaries, and her introduction to

teaching came when she was with her family in the Central Asian

country of Kazakhstan.

“I taught the English language to whoever was interested,” Park

said.

Dalebroux is new to the classroom, but not new to the schools. She

worked for 12 years as an instructional assistant with the Orange

County Department of Education.

Dalebroux specializes in helping students with autism, and like

Haunreiter works to help students relate to others around them.

“Communication is my big push,” she said.

All four winners were given plaques by the district to commemorate

their achievement. Haunreiter and Lindquist have also been nominated

for the Orange County Teacher of the Year Award.