Attendees at the presentation honoring Hewer included several members of Hewer’s family as well as friends and dignitaries.
On Jan. 6, the Ventura Commerce and Education Foundation (VCEF) designated Heather Hewer, instructor for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students at Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura, California, as January’s Teacher of the Month.
Hewer is responsible for providing language arts, social studies, math and science instruction for DHH students in grades six through eight at Cabrillo Middle School. She also spearheads a variety of other activities and programs for her students, including the school’s Laurent Clerc Club — an on-campus organization that aims to bring DHH students and other students closer together through cultural events and learning experiences — and an annual trip to the California School for the Deaf, Riverside.
“Heather does everything she can to encourage her students to believe in themselves and to empower them to achieve their goals,” said Cabrillo Middle School’s principal, Lorelle Dawes. “She works incredibly hard and is constantly planning experiences to make learning more meaningful for her students, from preparing international foods to supplement her geography lessons to coordinating science-related field trips.”
Teacher of the Month nominees must be credentialed teachers and display certain qualities, such as outstanding commitment to students, service to school or district committees, involvement in projects on their own time and/or participation in youth-focused activities in the community. All principals and parent-teacher organizations from schools within the Ventura Unified School District are eligible to submit nominations. For more information about the Teacher of the Month program, please contact Pattie Braga, chair of the Teacher Appreciation Committee with the VCEF, at [email protected] or 477-4052.
