The new Teacher of the Year for Santa Cruz County wants to change the way students view mathematics, she said. If they fear math, Elizabeth Siordia wants to “get rid of that fear and have them enjoy the subject.

Elizabeth Siordia (middle), just named 2009 Teacher of the Year, teaches math and science at Desert Shadows Middle School. She celebrated the good news with Assistant Principal Kristi Ceballos (left) and Principal Joan Molera (right).

“It’s easy to work with numbers,” said Siordia, a math and science teacher at Desert Shadows Middle School. “It’s our daily language. It’s a universal language.”

A panel of Rotary Club members and educators chose Siordia from a field of 15 experienced teachers for the 2009 honor. Alfredo Velasquez, Santa Cruz County superintendent of schools, announced the winner at a banquet on Aug. 7.

“Thank you for making a world of difference for students in Santa Cruz County,” Velasquez said to all the nominees, as he welcomed a crowd of 135 people at the Quality Inn (Americana Motor Hotel).

Velasquez’ office co-sponsored the second annual Teacher of the Year event with the local Rotary Clubs. They invited all school districts in the county, including private schools, to participate, said Chief Deputy Manuel Huerta. But only public schools in Nogales and Rio Rico and Mexicayotl Charter School chose a nominee to represent their school.

Guest speaker Ruben Reyes, district director for U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., drew a round of applause when he said, “Arizona cannot continue to be at the bottom of the list when it comes to child education.”

“The U.S. must be at the top of the list internationally,” he said.

Reyes spoke about his struggle to master the English language at school in Somerton, near Yuma. A memorable teacher, Mr. Mann, “taught me a lot about English, honesty and racial relations,” he said.

Education is “not just bricks and mortar,” Reyes emphasized. “It’s about relationships.”

Siordia also received the Paul Harris Humanitarian Award from Fr. Michael Shay, assistant governor for Rotary District 5500 in Green Valley.

In her nomination statement, Siordia said:

“I believe in treating each student as an individual: All people are given their share of tools to work in life, but for a student to build their own strong foundation, it is necessary to understand that each one uses their tools in a different way. I believe that getting to know each student individually will help build stronger foundations.”

Siordia grew up in Nogales, Sonora and earned a degree in business administration from the Instituto Technologico, she said. She got her bachelor’s degree in education at Prescott College and her master’s degree at Northern Arizona University.

Before Siordia came to Nogales Unified School District No.1, she taught at the Pima Community College program in Nogales for three years, she said. She began teaching at the Nogales alternative high school (now Pierson Vocational High School) in 1993 and moved to Desert Shadows 10 years ago, she said.

Siordia also teaches a class of students in MESA (Math, Engineering and Science Achievement) and the student council class.