District special education teachers honored with song and dance

Students and parents honored about 100 teachers and staff from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s Special Education Department with performances and accolades Wednesday during the Sunshine Awards for Exceptional Educators.

The event, held at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, is hosted annually by the Community Advisory Committee, or CAC. The group chooses the honorees after collecting 120 nomination forms from parents with children in the program.

They also chose five parents to deliver speeches about their nominee.

“When a teacher touches a student’s heart, we forget how long that can truly affect them,” CAC member Patti Jasinski said. “When the parents speak here, they really speak from their hearts.”

All California school districts provide Special Education Local Planning Areas to administer services for students with disabilities. Each planning area has an established CAC to support the needs of the students and their families.

“We are basically the PTA of special education,” Jasinski said. “Out of all the events we organize throughout the year, this is one of our favorites.”

The audience of about 200 guests, made up of principals, students, family members and honorees, applauded thunderously after each band, dancer or singer completed their piece.

In one performance, Corona del Mar High School freshman Brianna Pievac prepared a dance routine to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” for the audience. She arrived at the dance floor in her wheelchair but then stepped out of it to do her routine.

Parents delivered their speeches between performances. Those chosen to speak talked about special education teachers Corrie Rausch from Newport Harbor High School, Jon Pardoen from Lincoln Elementary, Kelli Adams and Summer Conway from Davis Magnet School and Behavior Specialist Michelle Lepak from the district’s Center for Healthy Connections.

CAC member Melissa Winberry said she tried her best to hold back tears during her speech for Conway. Winberry selected the theme for this year’s event, “Sunshine,” inspired by Conway’s dedication while teaching her 5-year-old son Asher Winberry.

“As Asher’s teacher, she’s brought sunshine into our life every day,” Melissa Winberry said. “She’s changed our lives. She’s given us hope.”