The Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) has named UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz School alumnus Gregory Wolf (TEP, M.Ed., SST History/Social Studies, ’13) as its 2024 Teacher of the Year. Wolf—part of the Social Sciences Department at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School— teaches U.S. History, Political Science, and Advanced Placement Psychology and has served as the Social Sciences Department chair, vice president of the Parent Teacher Student Association, and Associated Student Body (ASB) activities director.
Wolf was a Dr. J Student Teacher Fellow when he was a student in UC Santa Barbara’s Teacher Education Program in 2012-2013.
“He embodies all of those qualities the most exemplary teachers possess,” county Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido said in a statement. “Greg is beloved, appreciated and known as the ‘go-to’ person for just about everything. In one colleague’s words, ‘Greg is truly the full package when it comes to embodying the soul of an outstanding educator.’”
Each year, Santa Barbara County school districts nominate teachers for the Teacher of the Year award, who are then reviewed by a selection committee and the SBCEO Teachers Network. Finalists are then chosen and interviewed, and the selection committee does classroom observations of each finalist. Now that Wolf has received the Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year award, he is also eligible for the California Teacher of the Year award.
Wolf, as well as other award-winning teachers in the county, will be introduced and honored at the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Education Celebration on May 11, and will be further honored at the annual Salute to Teachers event that is set to take place in November.
