California Retired Teachers Association
Sue Breyer | CalRTA Division 33 Vice President
California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) State President and former Hemet High School teacher and coach, Ron Breyer, addressed 40 CalRTA Division 33 members at their recent April 11th spring luncheon at the Seven Hills Members Club in Hemet. Breyer described his experiences over his sixteen years in CalRTA as a Division member, Area Director, and State officer and explained how his perspectives changed with each office he held. From planning and participating in activities at the local Division level, to learning about the corporate fiduciary duties and state level operations at the Area level, to realizing the importance of CalRTA’s activities and efforts on the lives of all California retired educators at the state level, Breyer has refined and sharpened his perspective on statewide issues surrounding retirement, pension protection, Social Security fairness and legislation harmful to California’s educators.
Division 33’s luncheon program also featured the selection of three new teacher grant winners from area schools: Alicia Vaughn, Whittier Elementary School; Michael Abeyta, Tahquitz High School; and Sylvia Valencia, San Jacinto High School. Recipient names were randomly drawn from nearly 140 applicants from area districts for the “no strings attached” $100 teacher grants. CalRTA stresses that funds are intended for use in teacher classrooms, but teachers are free to determine how the money is used.
Alicia Vaughn teaches 5th grade multiple subjects at Whittier Elementary School in Hemet. She says, “I will be using the funds that I won from CalRTA Division 33 on positive reinforcement for my classroom. It is so important to reward students for positive behavior and academic excellence. I also want to shape the behaviors I wish to see more frequently. Everyone needs positive reinforcement, including adults!”
Michael Abeyta, an AP Spanish teacher at Tahquitz High School in Hemet, says that he “would use the funds to purchase Spanish phonics materials that will support the District’s goals towards literacy and help students acquire both the Spanish and English languages. Mr. Abeyta is also his school site’s World Language Department Chair, Seal of Multiliteracy Site Lead, and Hemet Teachers Association Representative.
Sylvia Valencia teachers 9th grade English and 10th grade World History at San Jacinto High School. When notified of her selection she said, “Thank you CalRTA! I am so fortunate to have been chosen. I plan to use the funds for Chromebook chargers for my students. Oftentimes they lose or damage their Chromebook chargers and I do not have one to lend them. This way everyone learns as a class and there are no excuses. Thank you again!”
CalRTA Division 33 will hold its next luncheon meeting on Tuesday, June 6th and will celebrate this year’s 2023 Division 33 $1000 Scholarship recipients. It will be a special time for celebrating the academic successes of these future educators. For more information about CalRTA Division 33, send an email to [email protected] or go to div33.calrta.org/ and click on “Contact Us.”
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