Gov. Steve Sisolak joined State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert to announce that L. Juliana Urtubey, a learning strategist at Kermit R. Booker Senior Innovative Elementary School in the Clark County School District, was selected as the 2021 Nevada Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Urtubey was honored during a virtual ceremony attended by members of the Booker Elementary School community.
The virtual ceremony may be watched via YouTube here after 1 p.m. on Sept. 23.
As a strategist, Ms. Urtubey works with students who face learning, mental, emotional, or physical challenges. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, she is passionate about closing cultural and linguistic gaps that can exist between educators, students, and families. She served at Crestwood Elementary School for ten years and joined the Booker Elementary community at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.
Ms. Urtubey serves as a member of the Superintendent Ebert’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet, a group of practitioners from across Nevada charged with providing feedback regarding the Nevada Department of Education’s initiatives and goals.
The Nevada Teacher of the Year is chosen from individuals who are nominated and then are invited to apply. After a rigorous application and interview process, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction chooses from among five finalists.
The number of nominations for the 2021 State Teacher of the Year more than doubled from the previous year.
The four finalists for the 2021 Nevada Teacher of the Year were:
- Perryn Hale of Roy Martin Middle School in Clark County School District
- Shelly Nee of Pershing County High School in Pershing County School District
- Christina Bourne of Mark Twain Elementary School in Carson City School District County
- Lynn Jeka of Yerington Elementary School in Lyon County School District
