Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Honors Roosevelt Teacher

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara has selected Alison Throop, a first-grade teacher at Roosevelt School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District, as its outstanding elementary teacher of the year.

Since 1986, the club has honored outstanding teachers from South Coast schools. Each year, it awards a secondary, elementary, and special education teacher with a certificate and a $1,000 check to spend on classroom needs.

Throop was honored at the club’s luncheon meeting Feb. 28.

“These efforts by the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara are investments that pay big dividends for our youth and our community,” said county Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone. “A donation like this is so valuable, and so much appreciated, because it helps teachers make an immediate impact for children.”

“The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara is committed to supporting local education and teachers such as Alison Throop, and it is our honor to recognize her through this award,” said Roland S. Christopher, chairman of the Teacher Recognition Committee of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara. “Mrs. Throop has an impressive background in education, and a lovely family that supports her. She is truly an outstanding example of an educator doing incredible things for our local youth.

“Rotary of Santa Barbara and Rotarians around the world know that educators like Alison lead our children in working to make communities better,” he continued.” “Her passion for education is an inspiration to all in our great community of Santa Barbara. It’s a pleasure to recognize excellence with the Santa Barbara County Education Office.”

“Alison Throop is a teacher’s teacher,” said Donna Ronzone, the principal at Roosevelt School. “She exemplifies all of the characteristics of an exceptional teacher. She creates a learning environment that is inclusive of all students, she is creative in designing instruction, and she builds strong home-school partnerships. Alison goes above and beyond. She mentors student teachers, works tirelessly on school committees and is an active participant in Common Core curriculum planning and the integration of technology. Kids love her, parents are grateful for her hard work and dedication to their children, and her colleagues and I could not ask for a better person to be on the Roosevelt team.”

“I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 5 years old,” Throop said. “It is my greatest joy to work with young children. I love the way they see the world, their laughter, and their unconditional love. I have a passion for inclusion of students with special needs and for helping families with educating their children. I love my job and I count myself very fortunate to work in such a beautiful community as Roosevelt with such involved families and wonderful staff and principal.”

Throop is an inclusion specialist, teacher representative for the PTO, and a member of the Kindergarten Council. She has served as a grade-level team leader for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten, has been a cooperating teacher for five UCSB student teachers, and has mentored new educators through the Teacher Induction Program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara meets at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara for lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. Recipients of the club’s Teacher Recognition Awards are made with the assistance of the Teacher Programs and Support Department of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

For more information, visit teacherprograms.sbceo.org or santabarbararotary.com.