Recipients of the 28th annual Education Medal of Honor were honored at an awards ceremony at the Sierra Lakes Golf Club. The six honorees represent five school districts and a Regional Occupational Program from San Bernardino County.
Each year, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, along with the San Bernardino County School Boards Association and County Communicators Network, recognizes individuals and groups who give outstanding service and support to public education with the countywide Education Medal of Honor.
“As county superintendent, it is an honor to recognize these remarkable people, businesses and education partners who make a difference for the students who attend our public schools,” County Superintendent Ted Alejandre said. “As volunteers, education partners or educators, they serve as an inspiration to their commitment to make our schools and districts a place where all of our students can achieve.”
The respective six recipients this year by category and districts served are:
Volunteer in Action/Community Volunteer: Michael Sullivan, community volunteer at Ayala High School, Chino Valley Unified School District;
Volunteer in Action/Service Group: Rim of the World Educational Foundation, Rim of the World Unified School District;
Partners in Education/Small Business or Franchise: Walter Clark, founder and attorney for Walter Clark Legal Group, communities across the High Desert;
Partners in Education/Corporation or Government Agency: Andy Mulz, director of operations for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program;
Excellence in Education/Education Professional: Colton Joint Unified School District Empowerment Team;
Excellence in Education/Student Alumni: Eric Schmidt, president of Exquadrum, Inc., Hesperia Unified School District.
Following are narratives on each of the individual winners.
Volunteer in Action/Community Volunteer
The Ayala High School Band and color guard cannot sing the praises of parent volunteer Michael Sullivan enough. For the past six years, Sullivan has spent his time building and fixing props used for various ensembles within the music program and prepared great meals for over 300 people. “The entire instructional staff looks to him for assistance because they know how great he is at what he does,” said Tim Trost, Ayala’s director of bands.
Volunteer in Action/Service Group
The Rim School District literally looks to be on top of the world when it comes to strong community support from its Rim Educational Foundation. Over the past 34 years, the foundation has contributed more than $500,000 to assist school programs and grants like the district’s Regional Occupational Program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and individual school grants.
Partners in Education/Small Business or Franchise
A convincing case can be made for the positive impact of the Walter Clark Legal Group’s contributions have had on the High Desert academic community. Through his law office, Clark has been actively engaging and contributing to the communities where he serves. He’s provided support to teachers through a monthly program and scholarships annually to High Desert graduates.
Partners in Education/Corporation or Government Agency
It can be said that Andy Mulz has a strong appetite for helping the students enrolled in Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Programs (CRY-ROP). As director of operations for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers in Redlands, he has had a significant hand in creating an awareness in the community for the importance of education and work-based learning.
Excellence in Education/Education Professional
Seeing the need to help elementary students transition to middle school, Colton has concentrated its focus on the social/emotional development of students. Five years ago, the district’s Empowerment Team began working with students to tackle fundamental issues like self-esteem, peer pressure and bullying through sessions organized by a network of school counselors.
Excellence in Education/Student Alumni
As a rocket scientist, it’s no secret that Eric Schmidt has a “think-out-of-the-box” outlook. That’s literally what the name of his company, Exquadrum, Inc., means. As a graduate of Hesperia High, Schmidt has worked with districts and programs across the High Desert to provide better educational and employment opportunities for students and for communities.