They say nothing affects the quality of education like the person in front of the classroom.
That’s why Riverside County school officials pull out all the stops in celebrating their Teachers of the Year.
They again completed a tour across the county — from Eastvale to Mecca — to personally congratulate each winner, as Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez surprised them on campus. The final visit was Friday, May 23.
In neighboring San Bernardino County, the Teachers of the Year are set to be announced this week by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools office. A September ceremony will honor them.
Riverside County’s top teachers for 2026 were picked from the nearly 20,000 educators across the county, a Riverside County Office of Education news release states. They’re nominated by teachers, principals and school administrators before a committee screens them enroute to choosing the winners.
The four teachers will represent Riverside County in the 2026 California Teacher of the Year competition — a contest that in 2025 netted a victory for the county.
Robert Mauger, a Corona High School automotive teacher, was among those chosen as one of the state’s five best teachers.
Here’s a look at the 2026 Riverside County Teachers of the Year.
Ziba Mayar
So beloved at Temecula Valley High School is Ziba Mayar that a parade accompanied officials to announce her award.
Cheerleaders, a choir, the marching band, and students in lab coats and goggles were part of the procession to her classroom.
Mayar teaches Advanced Placement biology and forensics, is a coach for new teachers and advises several campus clubs.
She’s collaborated with colleagues and criminal justice professionals. Her students have traveled to farms, done crime-scene probes and learned about facial reconstruction investigations.
Ziba, who lives in Murrieta, is an immigrant who learned English as a second language.
“We’re here every day for you,” Mayar told students gathered to watch the announcement, according to the release. “We show up for you and we love it. I absolutely love it. This is an honor.”
Anthony Segura
As a kid, Anthony Segura struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
He now brings patience learned from that experience to the preschool classroom at Edward Hyatt World Language Academy in the San Jacinto Unified School District.
He teaches students with a range of abilities and needs.
“I love coming to school and I feel like my job is not a job,” he said after the surprise announcement, the release states. “I look forward to it and working with everybody in the community. This award is not about me, it’s about all of us.”
His classes do sing-alongs, freeze dances, use kindness cards and enjoy other activities. Segura laid the foundation for his work by previously volunteering with special-needs adults and also high school students with special needs in China.
The Menifee resident penned a children’s picture book, “Firefighter, Firefighter, Who Do You See?” and mentors aspiring educators “to create more inclusive and effective classrooms that benefit all students,” the release states.
Marisa Gaytan
For Marisa Gaytan, Mecca Elementary School isn’t only where she works.
It’s her home.
As a child, she attended the same Coachella Valley Unified School District campus. Now she’s finishing her ninth year as a fourth grade dual-language teacher.
Upon learning of the honor, Gaytan said the school is “where beautiful things happen.”
“I always tell my students, ‘If I can do it, you can do it as well because I was just like you,’” she told more than 100 students gathered for the surprise, according to the release. “I truly believe that it’s important for everyone to feel welcome and belong. We are a family and each of our successes are all of our successes.”
Gaytan, who teaches in English and Spanish, encourages students who are still grasping English. She uses chants, music, kinesthetic learning, cultural references and always trumpets the value of being bilingual.
The Indio resident helped launch the school’s Keep It Clean club and joined in creation of a Book Buddies program. She launched Wisdom Wednesdays so teachers can share resources and support each other.
Lisa Moe
Lisa Moe went from teaching kids to swim to preparing them for their futures.
The sixth grade teacher at Philistine Rondo School of Discovery in Eastvale is known for a classroom that makes learning fun and values each child.
She calls it “a space of joy, discovery, and boundless creativity where labels don’t exist, every student’s unique strengths are celebrated and learning is a shared adventure.”
The adventure led to a crowd of hundreds of students holding signs and chanting her name during the surprise announcement.
“What is considered a job, is not a job for me,” she told her audience, the release states. “It’s truly a dream come true and a passion I show up for every single day.”
Moe started as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the city of Corona but is now ending her eighth year in the classroom and third in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.
The Corona resident speaks at educational technology conferences, is a STEM and digital literacy trainer and coordinator of programs for gifted students. She’s been featured on national television and co-hosts the Computer Science Teachers Association’s “One Voice in Computer Science” podcast.
