Redlands Educators and Support Staff Honored During 38th Annual Evening of Appreciation
Photos by Karen Pineda
Michael Craig of Redlands High School crosses the stage to accept his award.
REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Educational Partnership (REP) celebrated the backbone of the local school system Wednesday, honoring 35 educators and staff members at the 38th Annual Evening of Appreciation, held at Redlands East Valley High School’s Blackstone Theater.
REP recognized nominated teachers and classified employees (typically support personnel, such as custodians, secretaries, nutrition workers, and bus drivers) from across Redlands Unified School District (RUSD). A video presentation spotlighting the career accomplishments of each nominee served as the evening's centerpiece.
Four educators received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award: Paola Wagner (Citrus Valley High School), Mike Aranda (Redlands East Valley High School), Haley Sambrano (Clement Middle School), and Paul Bush (Moore Middle School).
The Outstanding Classified Employee Awards were presented to Micheal Craig (Redlands High School), Ronni Garcia (Citrus Valley High School), Brianna Shink (Clement Middle School), and Patti Swogger (Redlands East Valley High School).
The awards are supported by REP, the Eric Jacobson Memorial Fund, the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association, and SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. Local businesses contributed to the event’s atmosphere, with floral arrangements provided by Hockridge Florist and Trader Joe’s.
Moore Middle School eighth-grader Abigail Sweeney stands next to her winning art submission.
Beyond staff recognition, the event served as a gallery for 14 secondary school student artists. Their work was selected for the "ArtsAlive! 2026 Secondary Schools Student Art Notecard Collection."
The featured student artists include:
The 2026 student Arts Alive! collection.
Redlands East Valley HS: Leilani Rivas, Sabrina Ruiz, Jennifer Elizalde-Nava
Redlands HS: Isla Palenscar, Josalinee Danthaitam, Victoria Delgado, Cesilia Alavez Valerio, Jude Fieldhouse, Katie Gutierrez, Alisa Okofo
Moore MS: Claire Speak, Abigail Sweeney
Citrus Valley HS: Riley Keller
Clement MS: Andrea Banaga Sandoval
The student artwork will be displayed at the District Offices for one year. Notecards featuring the designs are available for purchase at www.rep4schools.com, with proceeds funding enrichment programs throughout the district.
Full List of Honorees
Certificated winners (from left) Paola Wagner, Citrus Valley; Haley Sambrano, Clement Middle School; Paul Bush, Moore Middle School; and Mike Aranda, Redlands East Valley High School.
Teacher Nominees: Anne Montiglio, Alyson Smith, Jason Starr, Dorie Clark, Olivia Davison, Kathryn Bicher, Adrienne Ayala, Mark Perkins, Katie Mackenzie, Jerry Shearer, Vi Aranda, Paul Macomber, Eva Shinnerl, Cindy Fowles, Brandon Hansen, Matt Norman, and Rose Sanders.
Classified employee winners (from left): Ronni Garcia, Citrus Valley High School; Brianna Shink, Clement Middle School; Micheal Craig, Redlands High School; Patti Swogger, Redlands East Valley High School.
Classified Employee Nominees: Sharon Richardson, Denise Zamora, Cindy Lujan, Cindy Duran, Jamie Green, Zach Simons, La’Rena Garcia, Lizbeth Hernandez-Gonzalez, Stephanie Boisse, and Marla Kirk.