“I believe to this day that a teacher’s
impact can carry over to all aspects of a student’s life. This is the approach
I use every day. I work hard to make a positive and meaningful impact on my
students.” —Brian Roth
Brian Roth, a 9th–12th
grade physical education teacher at San Marcos High School, was named 2012-13 Santa
Barbara County Distinguished Educator by County Superintendent of Schools
William J. Cirone at the monthly meeting of the county board of education June
14.
The
Distinguished Educator is a category formed to acknowledge outstanding teachers
in the Teacher of the Year awards program. “Brian Roth exemplifies what is best
in our profession,” said Superintendent Cirone. “We created the Distinguished
Educators award as a means of paying tribute to the successes and the
dedication that truly outstanding teachers display every day.”
The award was created as an
outgrowth of the annual county Teacher of the Year award. This year, the selection committee, which
included representatives of teachers, administrators, PTAs, and school boards,
expressed strong feelings that the application and credentials of Roth were
clearly Teacher-of-the-Year caliber.
The
committee members could only select one teacher to represent the county for the
State Teacher of the Year award; but members felt strongly they should also
acknowledge the excellence of this outstanding educator.
“This is our way of publicly
announcing how very grateful and proud we are of his efforts and successes,”
said Mr. Cirone.
Riccardo Magni, a science teacher at
Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria, was named County Teacher of the Year
in May.
Brian Roth
has
taught 9th—12th grade physical education, specializing in
swim instruction and water safety, for 15 years, the last eight at San Marcos
High School in Santa Barbara.
“I
think a successful teacher must be invested into teaching the whole person,” he
wrote. “It is our job to teach about the ups and downs of life, the feelings,
disappointment, and rewards that come from self sacrifice and perseverance. Therefore,
no two students are the same and each student needs to be taught on an
individual personal level…I create a classroom environment that is accepting,
motivating, and positive so that each student feels safe and comfortable to
reach for his or her individual goals.”
Roth
earned an associate of arts degree from Citrus College and a bachelor of arts
degree in history from UC Santa Barbara, with minors in exercise health science
and athletic coaching. He earned a masters degree in education from Azusa
Pacific and his teaching credentials from National University.
He
began working at UCSB as assistant men’s and women’s water polo coach and was
promoted to associate head coach of the women’s program. He also served as head
coach of the Santa Barbara Water Polo Club, before being offered a job at the
high school he had attended, Temple City High School, where he taught Sheltered
U.S. and World History and coached boys and girls water polo and swim teams. In
2004 he accepted a job teaching physical education at San Marcos High school,
where he has taught U.S. History, driver training, 9th–12th
grade physical education, and where he coached the girls swimming and water
polo programs. He also teaches beginning, intermediate, and advanced water polo
at Santa Barbara City College, and has worked with the Santa Barbara Water Polo
Club coaching boys and girls.
“I
start each lesson with energy and enthusiasm. Discipline, hard work, and
respect are three common themes I work hard to instill in each of my students,”
he said. “Perhaps my biggest impact at San Marcos is teaching
socio-economically disadvantage youth how to swim…The survival swim unit has
become one of the favorite activities of the year. Students learn how to enter
the water fully clothed, disrobe, and tie the clothing up to form life buoys.”
Roth
has served as a mentor with the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
program (BTSA), was Big West Scholar Athlete three years in a row, was named
U.S. Water Polo Coach of the Year, CIF Coach of the Year, and San Marcos High
School Teacher of the Year, to name just a few of his many honors.
“We
initiated a curriculum that focused on non-traditional sports such as Ultimate
Frisbee, badminton, street hockey, pickle ball, and more. Playing the
non-traditional sports helped address the apathy because it leveled the playing
field between students,” he said. “I work hard to create opportunities that
build and develop self confidence in my students so they are able to carry this
confidence and apply it to all aspects of their life.”
Wrote principal Ed Behrens: “Brian
Roth is one of those rare individuals that is hugely inspirational to all of
us…He has a profoundly positive impact with all levels of students, from
Advanced Placement to remedial and special education students…Brian is the
embodiment of rigor, relevance, and relationships…He always goes the extra mile
to help, motivate, and assist all students by relating to them in a positive,
collaborative way…Many of our most challenging students enrolled in his course
and thanks to Brian it was a huge success…He is a unique and special
individual.”
Wrote
parents Peter Alex and Judi Koper: “Brian is an incredible asset to our entire
community and has enriched the lives of so many with his leadership, guidance,
kindness, friendship, and untold hours of work on our behalf. He has been
pivotal in the development of our physical education and aquatics programs at
San Marcos…he has worked tirelessly to rewrite the PE curriculum and has
included electives such as handball to meet the needs of the entire student
population at San Marcos…He changes lives and motivates with heartfelt passion.
He helps to develop every student to his or her fullest potential, athletically
and academically, and has very high standards. Under his leadership, our water
polo and swim teams have won the CIF academic championships for the highest
collective GPA out of over 500 schools, and last year our swim team won the
academic championship for the entire state…He promotes confidence, self esteem,
and mental toughness, and measures success not just by performance in the pool
or on the field, but by how students choose to live their lives as part of a
team, as students, as part of their families and as members of our community.”
Wrote
parent and Santa Barbara Aquatics Club board member Peter Neushul: “Roth’s
program yielded some of Santa Barbara’s most outstanding athletes including
Olympic Bronze Medalist Thalia Monroe…Over the past three years he coached my
daughter. Under his leadership, SBAC’s team is now the most successful in the
United States. In 2011, Roth’s team went undefeated and won both the National
Club Championship and National Junior Olympic Championship. Roth is among the
most gifted youth water polo coaches I have encountered in over 30 years in the
sport. He motivates youngsters by creating a challenging environment that
inspires hard work and builds the character and integrity necessary to succeed
in one of the most difficult team sports in the world…Brian Roth is impacting
the lives of numerous youngsters in our community and deserves to be
recognized.”
As Santa Barbara County’s Distinguished Educator,
Roth is available to speak at events and can be reached at San Marcos High
School at 967-4581. Further information is available from Petti M. Pfau at
the Santa Barbara Education Office, 964-4710, ext. 5281.
