In the month of May, the Arcadia Rotary Club announced that two of Arcadia High School’s teachers have received the Rotary Teacher of the Year Award. We would like to congratulate Senora DuBerke and Mr. Wang for their spectacular teaching performance. They were formally introduced and honored at a Rotary luncheon during May.

To start off Senora DuBerke has been teaching for 15 years, with 14 of those years being at Arcadia High School. She teaches Spanish 1, 2, 3, and at the AP level. Overall, Senora DuBerke is honored to have received such a prestigious award. As a teacher who has taught students for a long period of time, building experience and acumen, each and every year, Senora DuBerke’s hard work on furthering students’ education has finally been recognized. In addition to all the teaching opportunities she’s been able to attain, Senora DuBerke also attributes her recognition to being a department chair on the School Site Leadership Team, SSLT abridged. Helping students experience school driven leadership experience and having certain actions implemented as a result of student decisions is what Senora DuBerke overseas as a department chair, building a student-teacher relationship that the Rotary Club has recognized and awarded. As a result of receiving this award, Senora DuBerke would like to remind students that this is a “great school with great kids who want to learn. Feel lucky and enjoy what you do.”

Similarly, Mr. Wang has been a teacher here at Arcadia High School for 14 years. Over the course of these 14 years, Mr. Wang has taught Modern World History, AP Human Geography, and AP U.S. History. Being awarded a Rotary Teacher of the Year Award illustrates the assiduous nature of a teacher. Mr. Wang noted that he’s “very honored to receive such a gesture of validation and affirmation. It helps keep the fire to teach alive.” After attaining this award, Mr. Wang would like to convey to all students and teachers that education “is a symbiotic relationship between student and teacher. The harder a student works, the harder the teacher will work to make sure they keep up their end of the social contract.” In short, Mr. Wang’s reference to John Locke illustrates how much he cares about his students and how much he truly wants to further knowledge. As such, Mr. Wang believes that the harder a teacher works and cares, the more responsive students are.

With that, we’d like to congratulate both of these phenomenal teachers for receiving this prestigious award. Their efforts to better students education is what has allowed Arcadia High School as a whole to flourish. Congratulations and thank you Senora DuBerke and Mr. Wang!

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