LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile
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Carino Bautista
Position: K-8 English Language Development Teacher
School: Culver Elementary and Culver Middle School
School District: Culver School District 4
City, State: Culver, OR
Music that Describes Carino
Carino Bautista was nominated by her superintendent, Stefanie Garber.
"¡Cambiador de vida describe perfectamente a Carino Bautista!"
"Carino started working for our school district in 2000 as our K - 12 ELL Liaison (English Language Learner Liaison). In plain language, she was our interpreter, translator, and advocate for Latino families in our school district," said Garber.
"In the fall of 2015, she became an educational assistant in our district, helping in our English Language Development (ELD) elementary classroom. After doing this for a few years, she knew she wanted to do more than assist. She wanted to become a teacher! While working and raising her family, she added going to college after hours to become a teacher," said Garber.
"The year 2021 marks the year that dream came true! We had a vacancy and could hire her as our K-5 ELD teacher. The goal is to have as many students reach proficiency as possible," said Garber. "Within the first year, we had an increased number of students reach proficiency. Fast forward to the fall of 2023, she agreed to teach ELD for K-8 students, adding three more grades to her caseload. Remember that she still serves as our K-12 ELL Liaison to support families and students."
"If you walk into her classroom, you immediately sense the love of her students! Next, you will notice the positive tone and supportive atmosphere. All classes are interactive, and you'll observe students interacting, listening to direct instruction, and producing evidence of their new learning. All of this is accomplished in a beautifully decorated room filled with student work, academic information to support their learning, and tidy shelves and spaces to promote the best learning environment possible," said Garber.
"Not only is Carino a very inspiring teacher who displays a love of learning and of her students, but she is also a role model by her own journey of continuing to climb to reach goals and dreams. Carino Bautista is truly a LifeChanger," said Garber.