Kenilworth’s Isaac Raya named Teacher of the Year

05/27/2015 - The Sonoma County Office of Education has announced that Isaac Raya, a history and digital media teacher and wrestling coach at Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma, was selected as Sonoma County’s Teacher of Year and will represent Sonoma County in the 2016 California Teacher of the Year program. He was among a strong and highly competitive pool of candidates nominated for this recognition by local school districts.

Isaac Raya started teaching 12 years ago and has held his current position in Petaluma for 10 years. According to Kenilworth Junior High School principal Emily Dunnagan, he is “one of the most outstanding history teachers I have ever met.” He brings the events of history alive and makes them relevant to his students’ world. He has been a pioneer in using digital tools in the classroom and has actively engaged students in producing original, multi-media works about their country’s history. Examples of his successful history lessons include a simulation where students experienced what it was like to work in a factory in the 1800s and a video production on the Mexican-American War created by English learners. These experiences are ones that students talk about for years, recalling both history facts and their involvement in active learning.

In addition to his eighth-grade history classes, Raya teaches a digital media class where students learn to tell stories using video. He showcases his students’ work in    Read more ...