Two teachers and a custodian were named the top employees of the Canutillo Independent School District last Friday during a first-of-its-kind ceremony at Canutillo High School that brought together 250 people to celebrate the work of teachers and auxiliary employees.
The District named Gerardo Amaya, assistant lead custodian at Davenport Elementary School, as the 2023-24 CISD Auxiliary Employee of the Year; Myla Dayrit, fourth-grade teacher at Damian Elementary School, as 2023-24 CISD Elementary Teacher of the Year; and Bruce Hoang, French teacher at Canutillo High School, as the 2023-24 CISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
“Mr. Amaya, Ms. Dayrit and Mr. Hoang represent the best of the best among our nearly 1,000 employees here in Canutillo ISD,” said Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz. “They represent the holistic commitment to education each and every employee of the District has made. From our classroom teachers to our hourly employees, we all play a key role in educating the children of our community.”
Anaya is a 14-year veteran of the District and plays a critical role in keeping Davenport clean and ready for instruction. His peers selected him as the top employee of the year because of his willingness to help beyond his outlined job duties.
Dayrit is a native of the Philippines who has 33 years of experience as a teacher both in her home country and here in Texas. She finds effective lesson creation in the form of rigorous, purposeful and innovative engagement with students.
Hoang is a native of Vietnam who has taught for 18 years. As a foreign language teacher, he understands the importance of opening up lines of communication and better understanding of cultures to young students.
The winners were announced at a ceremony that honored 10 other hourly employees as finalists for the Auxiliary Employee of the Year. Additionally, nine other teachers were named finalists for their corresponding Teacher of the Year category.
Winners were selected by a panel of judges based on one-on-one interviews and letters of recommendation. As the newly crowned district teachers of the year, Dayrit and Hoang will represent Canutillo ISD at the Region 19 Teacher of the Year contest for a chance to represent El Paso at the Texas State Teacher of the Year contest.
Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! ¡Viva Canutillo!