UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake High School’s agriculture teacher has been named a California Teacher of the Year.

On Tuesday State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that Erica Boomer was among the five 2019 California Teacher of the Year honorees.

Upper Lake Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Giovanni Annous was overjoyed by the news of Boomer’s award.

“I am in awe. I am so excited,” he told Lake County News after the district’s board meeting on Tuesday night.

Annous said he had heard last week that Boomer was being considered. However, as of Tuesday evening the district hadn’t received formal notification from the state.

It was during the regular Tuesday evening board meeting that staffers began receiving texts letting them know that Boomer had won.

As soon as he got back to his office on Tuesday night, he confirmed the news and sent out an email to staff and board members announcing the honors for Boomer.

“She exemplifies what we all strive to be as educators – her level of compassion and ethics, drive and education,” Annous said.

Lake County News was unable to reach Boomer on Tuesday evening.

However, in Torlakson’s announcement of the California Teacher of the Year winners, Boomer is quoted as saying, “One of the most important aspects of education is the challenge of appealing to the varying styles of learning that are unique to each student. My biggest goal is to help students reach their individual potential.”

Boomer was given the distinction along with Rosie Reid, who teaches English to ninth through twelfth grade students at Northgate High School, Mount Diablo Unified School District in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, and who Torlakson nominated as California’s representative for the National Teacher of the Year competition; Kim Holz, a fourth grade multi-subject teacher at Opal Robinson Elementary, Manhattan Beach Unified School District in Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County; Michael Henges, a 12th grade government and economics teacher at Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach Unified in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County; and Angel Mejico, a seventh and eighth grade art teacher at El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco Unified School District in Corona, Riverside County.

“These five remarkable teachers deserve thanks and admiration for their deep commitment, hard work, and creativity,” Torlakson said. “They make profound differences in their students’ lives and provide students the tools they need to succeed. They’re an inspiration and an example of the exceptional work going on in California schools.”

In June, Boomer was named 2018-19 Lake County Teacher of the Year and also was the 2013-14 Lake County Teacher of the Year, as Lake County News has reported.

She is the third California Teacher of the Year awardee from Lake County, joining Alan Siegel, a history, civics, economics and media teacher at Konocti Unified School District’s Carlé Continuation High School who won the honor in 2005, and eighth grade physical science teacher Jennifer Kelly of Middletown Middle School in Middletown Unified, who was honored in 2011.

Building a program

Raised on a ranch in Lake County, Boomer was active in 4-H and attended Upper Lake High School in the late 1990s before going on to receive her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

After her graduation from college, in 2005 she was hired at Upper Lake High School, where she started the agricultural program.

Under Boomer’s leadership, the program has grown and flourished. Thanks to her advocacy, a school barn was constructed, an ag truck and stock trailer were acquired and Career Tech Education Agriscience was created.

School officials said she also created a school farm and brought in a California Partnership Academy program related to sustainable agriculture and alternative energy so that students can have hands-on, career technical education opportunities.

Boomer serves as FFA advisor, teaches agriculture, wood and metal shop, and science, and mentors new agricultural teachers.

“Her students clearly know objectives when they come into the classroom every day and are ready to work, whether it’s in the shop, at the farm, or in the lab,” the award announcement said. “Boomer creates a personal connection with students and uses humor to help them feel more comfortable and less pressure, so that they’re ready to interact with the lessons and other students. Each period of the day brings with it a different type of lesson, a lab, or activity, and then hands-on interactive lessons.”

Over the past decades, as cuts have been proposed to agricultural education, Boomer also has lobbied state officials to protect those learning opportunities.

She’s been lauded by colleagues and administrators for her efforts and her work with the community and especially with students.

“Beyond the knowledge, the best teaching practices, the rigorous standards – Erica loves her students,” said Angel Hayenga, English Department chair at Upper Lake High School. “You can hear it in their voices when they call her ‘Boom,’ and you can see it in their eyes when they look at her in wonder, cradling a baby chick in their palms.”

The California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to honor outstanding teachers and encourage new teachers to enter the profession. It’s presented by California Casualty and the California Teachers of the Year Foundation.

County offices of education nominate California Teachers of the Year winners through their county-level competitions.

A state selection committee reviews candidates' applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers' rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, and teaching techniques.

The teachers are interviewed by the California Department of Education. The state superintendent then selects the five awardees.

Torlakson, who launched a “Make the Switch: Become a Teacher” campaign this year, said these teachers will be great ambassadors for the profession. Due to California’s teacher shortage, he said, it is important to get the word out about the rewards of being a teacher.

"Great teachers are the backbone of our education system. Teaching is a commitment to your community, your students, and most of all, a commitment to the future,” he said.

The 2019 California Teachers of the Year, finalists, and semi finalists will be honored by Torlakson at a gala to be held in Sacramento on Dec. 10.

Ahead of that, Annous said the Upper Lake Unified School District will plan to celebrate Boomer’s honor.

“We’re going to throw a big celebration. It’s something to be extremely proud of,” Annous said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.