Chris O’Connor, a science teacher at St. Helena High School, has been named one of five California Teachers of the Year for 2015, and the only one from Northern California.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson made the announcement Wednesday. One of the five, Maggie Mabery from Los Angeles County, has been nominated for the National Teacher of the Year.
O’Connor said he was “very excited” and grateful for the honor, but also surprised. He’d made it clear to state officials that he preferred being in the classroom rather than being honored publicly and doing the outside-the-classroom activities that are expected of a Teacher of the Year.
“I thought they’d be looking for individuals who wanted to act as ambassadors,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it but it’s not something that comes naturally to me.”
O’Connor has been a teacher for 19 years, and for 10 of those years has been at St. Helena High School teaching biology, AP biology, and science & media. His curriculum includes everything biological and beyond, including oceanography field trips, real anatomy labs, science and media, biodiesel production and even beekeeping.
Before he became a teacher, he worked in various research science positions, including in biotechnology and as a fisheries biologist in Alaska.
He said teaching is not for the timid, especially in terms of mental exhaustion. “(But) as an influential teacher, you have the unique opportunity of helping to shape the life of another, often in powerful and transformative ways,” he said.
O’Connor, who is known affectionately as “Mr. O” by students and faculty, was honored as the “Napa County Teacher of the Year 2015” in September at the high school. He was chosen in May from 140 nominees throughout Napa County.
Napa County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Nemko wrote of O’Connor: “During the 10 years that Mr. O’Connor has been teaching at St. Helena High, he has transformed his early career as a research scientist into the coolest, most exciting science program that could exist on a high school campus.”
“Mr. O gets his students involved in very exciting projects,” Nemko said. “Turning used French fry oil into fuel to power cars and trucks is one example. The fact that his students are willing to come to class at 6:15 in the morning to produce this fuel before school starts shows that they are engaged at a level rarely seen in other classes. He challenges students to make a difference in the world.”
St. Helena High School Principal Ben Scinto also had high praise for O’Connor.
“One of the many reasons Mr. O’Connor is most deserving of this award is because it will not change him,” Scinto said. “His teaching is motivated by a deep-seeded core belief system unaffected by personal or professional gain. His sense of humility is unparalleled, all while maintaining a sincere appreciation for those who lobby on his behalf.”
O’Connor lives in Napa with his wife, Sarah, and two sons, Jake and Ryan, who both attend the Napa Valley Language Academy.
The finalists and semi-finalists of the 2015 California Teachers of the Year will be honored at a gala Feb. 16.
According to the Napa County Office of Education, the last Teacher of the Year from Napa County was Mark Teeters in 2009.
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