Encinitas has a noteworthy tradition of recognizing and honoring its teachers through the Teacher of the Year program. The Teacher of the Year program celebrates and pays special tribute to the tireless efforts of our outstanding teachers. In doing so, the program brings well-deserved recognition to the whole teaching staff in the Encinitas Union School District.

This year, each school site selected a Teacher of the Year. These outstanding teachers include:

Donna Mills Capri School	John Kruckeberg El Camino Creek School		Steve Griffith Flora Vista School
Ariel Lyons La Costa Heights School	Jennifer Thorne Mission Estancia School		Brook Butler Ocean Knoll School
Ed Weber Olivenhain Pioneer School		Sally Leeper Park Dale Lane School	La Donna Coles Paul Ecke/Pacific View

Encinitas has a noteworthy tradition of recognizing and honoring its teachers through the Teacher of the Year program.  The Teacher of the Year program celebrates and pays special tribute to the tireless efforts of our outstanding teachers.  In doing so, the program brings well-deserved recognition to the whole teaching staff in the Encinitas Union School District. 

A selection committee, made up of previous EUSD Teachers of the Year and the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services, selected John Kruckeberg, teacher at El Camino Creek School as the Encinitas Teacher of the Year. The selection criteria included personal and professional growth, commitment, professional skills, community involvement, philosophy of teaching and learning, and support and endorsement by one's peers.

Mr. Kruckeberg has worked for the Encinitas Union School District since 1974 in a variety of teaching assignments. Also known as Mr. K, he currently teaches at El Camino Creek School. He is an exceptional teacher. He is a master at using the strategies of differentiating curriculum and brain research. He understands the different ways that students learn, multiple intelligences, and provides students the ability to complete work using their strengths. Through the use of his great personality he is able to keep students engaged in instruction at all times.

In addition to the outstanding job he does in the classroom, Mr. K is a tremendous asset to the El Camino Creek staff. He works closely with members of his grade level team, providing leadership and inspiration. He voluntarily created and coordinates the "Run for Your Life" Program. This program, conducted once a week after school, allows students, teachers, and parents to improve their level of physical fitness by going on a weekly run.

Probably the biggest program that Mr. K is known for is the work he has done in service learning and the performing arts both at El Camino Creek and in his prior assignment at Ocean Knoll. Mr. K is the inspiration for the program, always finding a worthy cause for the service component of the production. As a result of Mr. K's leadership, ECC has brought children from Chernobyl to the U.S. for a few weeks in the summer in the "Change for Chernobyl Program," and provided funds to the Community Resource Center in the "Bare Necessities Program." Mr. K is a tireless worker with many talents. His number one priority is always the children.

 Congratulations to all of our Teachers of the Year!