Staff Reports
LAKE COUNTY >> Erica Boomer, Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor at Upper Lake High School has been named as the 2018-2019 Lake County Teacher of the Year. Boomer is an alumnus of Upper Lake Union High School and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, holding a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) degree in Agricultural Education.
“As an alumni of Upper Lake, Erica has a connection with the students and the greater community that she uses very well,” said Upper Lake High School Principal Lloyd ‘Sandy’ Coatney.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said, “Boomer’s accomplishments in the area of Agriculture Education in Lake County are impressive.”
Boomer was very active in 4-H, and spent most of her time on the family ranch raising cattle, sheep, hay and walnuts while attending Upper Lake Union High School in the late 90s.
She was hired with overwhelming community and administrative support to start the Ag program at Upper Lake in 2005, following graduation from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Within a two-month period, Boom applied for several grants, created a curriculum and course outlines, and revamped the Ag Mechanics shop to prepare for the start of the 2005 school year.
Boomer immediately spearheaded the drive to establish a California Partnership Academy in Alternative Energy and Sustainable Agriculture (AESA) with the California Department of Education at Upper Lake High School, and succeeded.
In the years since then, she has successfully advocated for the construction of the school Ag Barn, improvements to the Ag Barn, the addition of an Ag truck and stock trailer, the creation of a Career Tech Education (CTE) Agriscience, and she serves as the FFA Advisor.
“Through her classroom and community involvement, Erica has a huge impact on our students, at school, after school, over the summer and all year long,” said Coatney. “She teaches them practical, hands-on lessons that the students eat up.”
Five Lake County District Teachers of the Year competed through an application and interview process for the distinction of Lake County Teacher of the Year 2018-2019. They are:
· Erica Boomer, Upper Lake Unified School District
· Ana Goff, Lakeport Unified School District
· Keely Antoni, Kelseyville Unified School District
· Kathleen Hayes, Konocti Unified School District
· Shaun Roderick, Middletown Unified School District
It’s Boomer though, who will be moving forward to contend for the title of California Teacher of the Year 2019. Boomer’s state application is due at the end of July. The State Selection Committee will review applications and make site visits in early fall. The California Department of Education (CDE) will announce the California Teachers of the Year in October 2018.
The Lake County Teacher of the Year is a program administered through the Lake County Office of Education, and the California Department of Education. For more information about Erica Boomer, visit www.lakecoe.org/recentnews.
