Laguna honors Anna Alldredge with 2018 Faculty Excellence Award

Dedicated. Compassionate. Beloved. These are just a few words to describe Middle School Teacher Anna Alldredge.

At the Middle School Closing Ceremony in June, Anna was honored with the 2018 Faculty Excellence Award, which recognizes recipients for their demonstrated excellence in teaching and commitment to Laguna Blanca and its students.

Anna is a respected leader in the Laguna community, but just as importantly, she is personally invested in the lives of her students and is always ready to lend a helping hand or share insightful advice. It’s easy to see why Anna’s students gravitate towards her; she possesses a genuine ability to listen to, connect with, and inspire students. “On any given day, you will find the majority of the Middle School hanging out in her classroom during lunch chatting away with her,” notes Laguna Middle School Teacher Zack Moore. “She listens to their needs, fears, and ambitions, and then guides them to thoughtful choices.”

Innovation is a cornerstone of Anna’s teaching, as she has exhibited time and again since joining the Laguna community in the fall of 2015. This past school year, Anna and fellow Middle School Teacher Allison Armstrong implemented the first ever TEDx: Project Based Leadership class into the Laguna curriculum, resulting in the first annual—and very successful—TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool event that took place in January 2018. As head of the Middle School Advisory Program, Anna was instrumental in the development of the new Swoop Group program, an exciting and engaging initiative that offers weekly extracurricular electives for Middle School students.

Anna’s students are quick to recognize all of the hard work she puts in to ensure that purposeful and powerful experiences are an integral part of their Laguna education. “Thanks to Ms. Alldredge, our vision of the TEDx event became a reality,” says Hayley Bankhead ’19. “I am so thankful that she took on a program that can really change students’ lives by providing unimaginable real world experiences.” Eighth grade student Lily Connor ’22 adds, “She taught me much more than just English this year; she taught me how amazing a woman can be.” She continues, “Ms. Alldredge is a beacon of light, and her effortless positivity is contagious.”

Students are not the only ones influenced by Anna’s passion for providing a meaningful education. “I have not met another educator who is more dedicated to this school and how great it can be; she personally motivates me to be a better teacher,” says colleague Andra Wilson.

Anna began her teaching career as a Stanford faculty assistant eight years ago. She also designed curriculum at Berlin’s International UNESCO School and taught English, Human Development, and Peace Studies at Cate School prior to joining Laguna. She and her husband, Nathan, live in Carpinteria with their two children and Laguna Lower School students, Soren ’27 and Greta ’29.

Thanks to an endowment established by alumni parents Steven and Marilyn Gutsche, Anna received a cash award and a $3,000 stipend for travel, workshops, equipment, and teaching materials.

Thank you, Anna, for all you do to inspire our students and better the school community. You are a role model to so many, and you provide much more than just a classroom education—you provide a springboard to life.
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