GGUSD Board of Education Honors Employees of the Year

employees of the year

The Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education honored 11 outstanding employees during its meeting on May 3, 2022.

The employees honored were the district’s eight nominees to the Orange County Department of Education’s (OCDE) 2022 Classified Employee of the Year program including bus driver Shannon Lauricella who was selected as an Orange County Finalist, as well as the district’s three nominees for OCDE’s 2023 Teacher of the Year program.

“GGUSD has become a destination that attracts the very best educators and school staff who come to stay and build their careers here,” said Board of Education President Bob Harden. “GGUSD students benefit from an educational experience led by experts in their field who are passionate about helping students succeed and are passionate about our communities.” 

GGUSD’s nominees for Orange County Classified Employee of the Year include:

  • Liz Stimmler, School Secretary at Rancho Alamitos High School
  • Michael Swindell, Equipment Operator II in Maintenance Operations and Transportation
  • Nancy Thurston, Food Services Lead at Walton Intermediate School
  • Trinidad Escobar, School Community Liaison at Garden Grove High School
  • Robin Foster, Instructional Aide II at Riverdale Elementary School
  • Joseph Mendoza, Painter I in Maintenance Operations and Transportation
  • John Huggett, Network Technician in Information Services
  • Shannon Lauricella, Bus Driver,

GGUSD’s nominees for Orange County Teacher of the Year include:

  • Rita Hanna Yost, a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Morningside Elementary
  • Hanh Tran, sixth grade teacher at Post Elementary
  • Chris Maroney, Special Education Teacher at Walton Intermediate