6/7/2021
Education and Outreach
Clark County School District (CCSD) teacher Juliana Urtubey says she is still processing the excitement of appearing on “CBS This Morning” and being surprised in her classroom by first lady Jill Biden.
Urtubey, a special education teacher and learning strategist for Booker Elementary School, was recognized in May as the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, the first Nevadan to win the award and the first Latino teacher since at least 2005.
Co-host Gayle King revealed the news on “CBS This Morning” ahead of the first lady walking into Urtubey’s school library with a bouquet of flowers.
“It was an absolute dream to meet the first lady, and it was made all the more special because she is also a teacher at heart,” says Urtubey.
Urtubey adds that being interviewed by Gayle King made her a little nervous, but that King set her up for success.
“She was so sweet and kind,” says Urtubey.
A Record of Achievement
Getting noticed for her outstanding efforts as an educator isn’t new to Urtubey, a CCSD teacher since 2013.
In 2018, Urtubey was among 20 teachers who received Heart of Education Awards from The Smith Center. Funded by The Rogers Foundation, this annual awards program honors CCSD educators who go above and beyond.
Despite becoming Nevada Teacher of the Year and now National Teacher of the Year, Urtubey says she still considers her Heart of Education Award the most memorable.
“The Heart of Education Awards show us what can happen when we celebrate teachers,” Urtubey says. “It’s so gratifying and meaningful when the community partners with education to recognize the incredible work that gets done both inside and outside the classroom.”
Urtubey recently appeared in the Vegas PBS 2021 Heart of Education special, where she gave a shout out to the 20 winning teachers of this year’s awards.
“After a year like this one, it’s now more important than ever to thank our educators,” Urtubey says.
A New Platform to Support Teachers
As the National Teacher of the Year, Urtubey will receive a paid year off from classroom duties to advocate for the teaching profession alongside the Council of Chief State School Officers, which oversees the presentation.
“I’m honored and excited to represent as many voices as possible,” says Urtubey, who will travel across the nation to speak on behalf of teachers.
Supporting teachers is a special skill set for Urtubey.
A year ago, she left her role as a special education teacher at Crestwood Elementary School, where she led a large-scale effort to create an outdoor classroom garden, to join Booker as both a teacher and instructional strategist.
In this new capacity at Booker, Urtubey spent part of the day supporting the school’s preschool through fifth grade teachers, identifying whatever tools and resources, from technology to training, that they needed in order to be successful.
“I’m used to having my own full-time class of students, but helping my fellow teachers was a great challenge for me,” says Urtubey, adding that the pandemic made such a school resource particularly helpful.
“This was the perfect year to offer this kind of support for teachers,” she says.
Keeping a Legacy as Ms. Earth
Urtubey’s previous efforts at Crestwood to beautify her school and unify the community through murals and gardens earned her the nickname Ms. Earth.
Urtubey helped to raise more than $80,000 to build the garden at Crestwood, including painting murals and hosting summer garden camps. Students who got involved in the weekly garden club became affectionately known as Crestwood Gnomies.
Urtubey says she found great joy in creating the garden, so much that she is now consulting on a new garden at Booker.
“I’ll be traveling, but I’ll also be doing whatever I can remotely to help nurture this new garden at Booker,” Urtubey says.