Educator of the Month Shauna Catalano (2nd from left) was honored at the February 8 Santa Paula Unified School District Board meeting. Shown are SPUSD Superintendent Alfonso Gamino, Catalano, Board President Kelsey Stewart and Isbell Principal Dr. Ricardo Araiza.

Isbell’s Shauna Catalano honored as SPUSD Educator of the Month

February 22, 2017
Santa Paula News

The Santa Paula Unified School District Board at the February 8 meeting honored an Isbell Middle School teacher who has excelled at working with Santa Paula’s culturally diverse community. 

According to Principal Dr. Ricardo Araiza, 8th Grade Language Arts Teacher Shauna Catalano has taught at Isbell for 14 years, and has “always demonstrated a wide depth of instructional/content knowledge and effective use of strategies for working with a culturally diverse community.”

Catalano, said Araiza, is known for utilizing “countless research-based teaching strategies that are highly effective with our student population. Shauna is extremely well organized and spends a great deal of time in the planning and preparation of each lesson. Because of this, students are presented with a wide variety of material focused on meeting their current academic needs.”

Araiza said he has “observed how she works with her students using laptops for the current language arts pilot program. Shauna does an outstanding job of always knowing exactly what it will take to accomplish the stated goals and objectives of her department and will not stop until the job is done.”

In addition, Catalano is “always investing all of her energy and maximum effort in any endeavor that has been assigned to her,” or that she has volunteered for.  

Talking about volunteering, Araiza said Catalano participates in “many extracurricular activities at Isbell,” working every Friday with students who are interested in developing and expanding their art skills through the Art Club. She is also an active member of Isbell’s Leadership Team, co-lead of the Language Arts and ELD department and participates in meetings to represent the needs and concerns of both departments.  

“She recently worked with me and two other teachers to develop a referral form,” that Araiza said “will be presented at our next leadership meeting.”

Involved in the Isbell award winning AVID program she participates in all AVID trainings and meetings. 

“If that wasn’t enough,” noted Araiza, “she was at the Awards Assembly Meeting this last Tuesday so that she could help out in any way she is able to. The list goes on and on of all of the areas that Shauna is currently participating at Isbell.

Said Araiza, ‘I need to commend Shauna for all of the time and energy she spends on Isbell to make this school a better place for all of our students.”  

Catalano said Araiza’s words “Fired me to succeed,” much as did the “early mentors” she named individually that she worked with earlier in her teaching career. 

She also thanked staff and “The student families I’ve grown close to over the years, and my family that puts up with my long hours so I can help change lives in Santa Paula; I would not be here without them.”





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