The Las Vegas Raiders today honored Juliana Urtubey (pronounced: HOO-lee-on-a ER-two-bay) from Kermit R. Booker Sr. Elementary School, who was recently named the 2021 National Teacher of the Year.
Members of the Silver & Black including the Raiderettes visited Booker Elementary School, where they presented Ms. Urtubey with a Silver & Black-themed gift basket on behalf of the team to recognize her incredible achievement.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the organization that bestowed the honor describes Ms. Urtubey, 2020-2021 Nevada State Teacher of the Year, as “A passionate educator and advocate.” First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, during her visit to Las Vegas last week, surprised Ms. Urtubey by personally congratulating a fellow educator, presenting her with flowers and a letter from President Joe Biden.
According to the CCCSSO website, Ms. Urtubey sets the bar high:
She is the first Latinx Nevada State Teacher of the Year since at least 1992. Ms. Urtubey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in special bilingual education from the University of Arizona. Ms. Urtubey is a National Board-Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood and Young Adults). Currently, she is a hybrid educator at Booker Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada where she serves as a co-teacher in pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade special education settings and as an instructional strategist developing school-wide Multi-Tiered System of Supports for academic, social-emotional, and behavioral interventions.
Previously, she taught special education in the resource setting at Crestwood Elementary School. She is warmly known as “Ms. Earth” for her work in beautifying the school and advocating for and unifying the school community with gardens and murals. Ms. Urtubey is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Teacher Fellow, a Nevada Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow, an Understood Teacher Fellow and mentor, a Nevada Department of Education Superintendent Teacher Advisory Cabinet member, a National Board Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators founding Board member, and a learning facilitator with the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute. She is a recipient of the 2019 Chicanos por La Causa Esperanza Latina Teaching Award, a recipient of the 2019 Hispanic Education Association of Nevada Teacher of the Year, and a 2018 Roger’s Foundation Heart of Education Winner.
