Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) announced that Mrs. Courtney Franz, a Special Education teacher at Holly Avenue Elementary, has been recognized as one of the 2024 Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year on Sept. 25. Mrs. Franz, a dedicated educator with 17 years of service in AUSD, has represented the district and Los Angeles County (LA) on California state level.
Throughout her teaching journey as a TK to fifth grade special education teacher at Holly Avenue Elementary School, Mrs. Franz’s contributions have extended well beyond the classroom. She’s developed district-wide training programs for instructional assistants and consistently works alongside fellow educators, sharing her expertise to foster students’ success. Her leadership and collaboration have had a lasting impact across the district.
Mrs. Franz’s most memorable teaching moments are those that involve direct and immersive experiences with her students, “where learning comes to life.”
“The moments that are the most memorable and always make me smile when I think back on them are the times my students and I had fun together while learning such as building the different types of rocks using Starburst, dissecting owl pellets, and even “ice skating” in the classroom. It is in these moments where learning really comes to life,” she said.
Selected from a competitive field of 69 teachers representing 65 districts, Mrs. Franz is among top 16 honorees for 2024. She was also awarded $1,000 from California Credit Union in recognition of her achievement. She was able to apply for LA Teacher of the Year after being chosen as AUSD’s Teacher of the Year.
“It was quite an extensive process to become an LA Teacher of the Year,” said Mrs. Franz. “The application included 8 essays, 3 letters of recommendation, a resume, picture, and a short YouTube video. All in all, my application turned out to be 23 pages!”
When asked to share her thoughts on being nominated, Mrs. Franz showed her genuineness as a brilliant yet humble teacher.
“I honestly still can’t believe that I was nominated,” said Mrs. Franz. “It was and continues to be a shock! I remember feeling incredibly grateful to be considered for such an honor, but also thinking [that] this [couldn’t] be real.”
Her advice to other teachers is to “collaborate as much as [they] can with [their] colleagues and always continue to learn from those around them.”
As Mrs. Franz continues to teach and work in the district, AUSD is prepared to support her in her exciting and well-earned endeavors.
Photo courtesy of ARCADIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
