Bridget Randazzo was nominated by her colleague, Leigh Cambra.
Mrs. Randazzo goes above and beyond for her students. She regularly has a large group of AVID students and their friends in her classroom at lunch. Through these close relationships, she was able to brainstorm ways to help her students and their families in Big Sur.
In February 2017, a bridge in Big Sur collapsed, stranding families on the south side and limiting their ability to drive to town or even work. In an effort to provide any assistance to CUSD families living on the south side, a group of students worked with Mrs. Randazzo and Ms. Cambra on getting donations and finding out what supplies the families needed. They figured out the best thing to do was buy the supplies and hike them up a newly created trail in the Big Sur state park. Mrs. Randazzo contacted the park ranger to get permission, helped collect lists of needed items, shopped for the items, and delivered them to the families in Big Sur.
These actions were helpful for the Big Sur community and much needed. The students ended up taking seven trips over seven months until the bridge was replaced and opened in October 2017. These trips allowed students and staff not living in Big Sur to get a glimpse of Big Sur life while also helping out the families. Mrs. Randazzo's profile photo shows her getting ready to hike up the trail.
Mrs. Randazzo is an inspiring staff member who really cares about her staff and community. She also helps advise This Club Saves Lives and has given her time (and rearranged her family needs) three times, so far, to take students to WE Day in Los Angeles. The trip has takes 12-40 students to LA for three days to volunteer, visit non-profits, and show students that it is possible to have a successful business while helping others.
Mrs. Randazzo has also served as the AVID site coordinator and has helped build a well-regarded AVID program at Carmel High School. Her students look at her AVID and Spanish classes as a family, and she, along with the rest of the AVID team, fully supports her students. Last year, her four-year AVID students graduated and successfully applied for college. She is now starting with a new group of AVID freshmen, all excited about what their future holds with Mrs. Randazzo leading the way!
Bridget Randazzo is an incredible role model for students and teachers alike! I am honored to be her colleague and friend!
Mama bear on campus! She has a very special way to connect with students and staff on campus. She is genuine and is here for all students. I appreciate the honor to work with a colleague that is so welcoming. Congrats Bridget!
Bridget and I have been department colleagues for over a decade. She is a wonderful teacher, a kind soul, and extremely competent- the students she sends to me are always prepared. She is always thinking of others, and volunteers for many activities since she loves being around kids and wants to help, especially those who may feel disenfranchised or stressed by school. She is an exceptional teacher and I am definitely glad she's in my department!
I consider it an absolute honor and a privilege to work with Bridget Randazzo. She is exceptional and epitomizes benevolence. She regularly goes above and beyond - uniquely connecting with students, staff and the community alike as she possesses an innate ability to encourage and inspire. Her compassion, generosity and dedication are equally admirable and inspirational. It is with the utmost admiration that I nominate Bridget Randazzo for this LifeChanger award.
I have worked with Bridget for 15 years at Carmel High School. During that time, I have collaborated with her in a variety of settings and on numerous endeavors. Each time, I have found her to be kind and creative and a tireless champion for Carmel High’s less fortunate students. Her efforts to provide for the Big Sur community during the bridge outage are a prime example.
Bridget also contributes to the local teachers association as our elections chair. As such, she has overseen our elections for several years to ensure their integrity and fairness. Although I know she has many other irons in the fire, she always volunteers her time and effort to this critically important but thankless task. As with her efforts to support her students and the community, she does so with a smile.
Thank you for considering her for this honor.
Mrs. Randazzo is an inspiration to many and she truly has peoples best interests in heart everyday. Her personality, character and giving heart cannot be beat as she radiates happiness and caring for others on a daily basis. She captivates her students and pushes them to do their best and she pushed me to help change the lives of others. I had Mrs. Randazzo as a Spanish teacher early on in high school, but little did I know the impact she would have on my life my senior year when I joined This Club Saves Lives. She was an essential part of the club, but she had the biggest impact on me when I worked hand in hand with her helping organize the Big Sur project to walk goods over the families across a trail. As a Big Sur resident, this hit close to home for me and without the help and inspiration that Mrs. Randazzo was able to give me, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. The grand impact that we made on the families could not have been possible without the passion of Mrs. Randazzo. I was so lucky to have become so close to her working on a project that we believed so strongly about and she has definitely left a lasting impact on my life. My favorite memory was when she came to support me at the Jefferson Award ceremony. I was not expecting this but I was so surprised and so grateful that I had a teacher and a mentor that believed so strongly in me and pushed me and helped me accomplish things I would have never imagined possible without her. She’s truly the best candidate for this LifeChanger award because she truly changed mine.
Bridget Randazzo is truly an inspiration! Her many selfless acts of care and compassion for the students in our school community make her a perfect candidate for this LifeChanger award. She has indeed changed many lives, and I love working with such an uplifting colleague!
Mrs. Randazzo is an incredible teacher and role model. I’ve been exceptionally lucky to have her as my Spanish teacher for 2 years. Throughout her class she finds new ways to teach her students and capture their attention to help them understand the concepts. She truly cares about all her students and makes all her students comfortable with talking to her about any issue. Other than the classroom, Mrs.Randazzo shows her passion for helping the community through This Club Saves Lives, and is a huge part in many of the activities we hold. She has changed my life in many ways as for many other students. Mrs.Randazzo is best fit for the lifechanger award!
Mrs. Randazzo is a club advisor for our non profit club This Club Saves Lives at CHS and she has supported us in so many community service projects and service trips to LA! She is a bright light on our campus!
Mrs. Randazzo was my Spanish teacher freshman year of high school - a year that was particularly difficult for me. Somehow though she saw in me a potential for leadership that I’m not sure many could see. She nominated me to be part of a coalition building workshop, a place where I felt like I finally saw where I could put some of my passion and frustration to good use. By seeing my potential and offering me that one opportunity, she helped foster a future in social justice and community development. Although I didn’t realize her heart and passion for serving the community at the time, years later I found myself back in her classroom. This time I was invited to speak at career day to talk about working in the nonprofit sector and restorative justice. It was during this interaction that I really put all the pieces together as she shared with me her efforts in reaching out to the students in the district that many don’t realize are in need, specifically in Big Sur and Cachagua.
It was then that I realized that Mrs. Randazzo has always been able to see those that need a boost, some extra support, whether it be a student in her Spanish class or a community indefinitely isolated by natural disaster or lack of resources.
Bridget is one of the most selfless individuals I’ve ever met. Her love and dedication to her students knows no bounds. They adore her, look up to her and want to be like her. I am proud to nominate Bridget Randazzo for this award, she goes above and beyond to enrich the lives of her students and leaves a lasting imprint on their lives, what life is all about!??
Mrs. Randazzo was my Spanish teacher freshman year of high school - a year that was particularly difficult for me. Somehow though she saw in me a potential for leadership that I’m not sure many could see. She nominated me to be part of a coalition building workshop, a place where I felt like I finally saw where I could put some of my passion and frustration to good use. By seeing my potential and offering me that one opportunity, she helped foster a future in social justice and community development. Although I didn’t realize her heart and passion for serving the community at the time, years later I found myself back in her classroom. This time I was invited to speak at career day to talk about working in the nonprofit sector and restorative justice. It was during this interaction that I really put all the pieces together as she shared with me her efforts in reaching out to the students in the district that many don’t realize are in need, specifically in Big Sur and Cachagua.
It was then that I realized that Mrs. Randazzo has always been able to see those that need a boost, some extra support, whether it be a student in her Spanish class or a community indefinitely isolated by natural disaster or lack of resources.
I was lucky enough to have Ms. Randazzo for Spanish my freshmen year and I quickly learned that she was more than a teacher but a mentor that truly cares for all of her students and their needs. Always has her door open at break and lunch for students to come in to get help or just a place to eat lunch. My senior year she helped as a co advisor for our service club This Club Saves Lives and did a phenomenal job and showed how selfless she is. She has left a lasting impact on me and made high school that much better
CUSD is lucky to have you Bridget!! Thank you for always going above and beyond for students!! You are an exceptional leader, compassionate, selfless and an inspiration to all.
I would also like to nominate Mrs. Randazzo as a community member who has also seen her willingness to open her home to others. In approximately 2012, there were mudslides on highway 1 in which students were unable to get to our CUSD schools. In true big-hearted fashion, Bridget and her family took in three of the students from the middle school and they lived in her family home for the duration of the slide incident. With these types of selfless acts both in her classroom and in her home, the LifeChanger Award seems like an obvious fit for this amazing woman.
Mrs. Randazzo is an exceptional Spanish teacher as well. She teaches both Spanish 1 and Spanish 3. She is always on the look out for exciting activities to make Spanish come alive in her classroom making sure that students enjoy learning language. She is innovative and courageous in her pursuits for Spanish proficiency. She is up to date in world language teaching methodology and works diligently to make her student's experiences relevant. She collaborates with a teacher in Mexico to bring authentic Spanish to her classroom and to her students. Furthermore, she collaborates with her world language team to constantly reinvent, revitalize and energize all world language classrooms. Mrs. Randazzo is an innovator, she is compassionate with her students in Spanish, in AVID and in Strategies for Success. She believes that all students can succeed and she goes well above and beyond to make sure that students at Carmel High School know that they belong.
Congratulations Bridget! You do amazing work for our students!
I've worked with Bridget over the years in many capacities. She has participated as a member of the Scholarship Committee where she is always an advocate for students who face adversity whether they be SPED or AVID kids or just someone who has been dealt difficult cards in life. She also teaches strategies classes, and I've worked with her closely to help struggling students pass their classes. Kids who have Bridget always feel cared for. She goes the extra mile to make sure they understand the assignments and help them in whatever way she can. She is indeed a Life Changer and would be perfect for this award!
I couldn't agree more! Bridget has committed herself to her students and her community. She has opened her home to students in need when displaced by fires and floods. Bridget stays in touch with her former students and continues to mentor them into adulthood. She helps current students make life changing connections with former students. She is always willing to step up and help out. Her heart breaks for injustice and she empowers her students to do more than they ever thought they could. Her passion for social justice is inspiring. If there is a need she will do her best to meet it.
Bridget has spent hundreds of hours driving vans all over the state of California taking kids to see colleges and inspiring them to be the first in their family to attend college. her classroom is a second home to many of her students and an only home to some.
Bridget does all this never asking what's in it for her. She is an inspiration to her students, her colleagues and her community!
Bridget is an amazing individual and I am proud to support her nomination! Good Luck Bridget!
