Teachers from across the nation chosen because of their extraordinary creativity and imagination; Teacher event takes place May 5 just ahead of National Teacher Appreciation Week and during The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary
ANAHEIM, Calif. (May 1, 2023) – Just ahead of National Teacher Appreciation Week, 100 inspiring teachers from across the nation are getting the celebration of a lifetime at Disneyland Resort in California.
The educators are being honored May 4 through May 7 by Disney Imagination Campus for bringing creativity and imagination to life in their curriculum, which aligns perfectly with Disney Imagination Campus’ mission of inspiring the next generation of creative thinkers and leaders through imagination-powered learning.
At Disneyland Resort, the teachers will be in the spotlight during a celebratory cavalcade down Main Street, U.S.A., and will take part in a Disney Imagination Campus workshop experience, learning sessions led by Disney leaders and Imagineers and other special entertainment experiences.
The 100 elementary, middle and high school teachers, who come from 39 different states, were selected from more than 7,900applicants. The teachers chosen demonstrated the spirit of creativity and imagination in their classrooms to inspire students and play a key role in shaping the minds of America’s future leaders.
The heartwarming stories that demonstrate each teacher’s dedication to empowering their students are endless. One California teacher’s class works with a project intended to clean the ocean by working to remedy plastic pollution. A Florida teacher has elevated student participation in his school’s culinary arts program through innovative, student-driven events and work experience. And a New York teacher designed a class that taught her students about the history of animation, including having them draw some of their favorite Disney characters as part of the course.
The 100 teachers’ celebration builds on last year’s event when Disney Imagination Campus recognized 50 teachers at Walt Disney World Resort during the resort’s 50th anniversary. This year’s 100 teachers event takes place during The Walt Disney Company 100thanniversary celebration and to recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week, which kicks off May 8.
Disney Imagination Campus offers educational experiences for visiting student groups at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and at Disneyland Resort in California. The collection of interactive workshops, performances and special events involve a variety of subjects, including performing arts, science and technology, arts and humanities, and leadership and innovation. These programs are specially created to harness beloved Disney franchises, Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment in ways that inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.
In creating the curriculum, Disney drew on its extensive experience in youth education, which ultimately led to a hands-on approach to learning and an imagination-powered curriculum that emphasizes key performance criteria as well as the critical skills students need to succeed in today’s world, such as leadership, confidence, creative problem-solving and teamwork.
For more information about Disney Imagination Campus, visit DisneyCampus.com.
About Disney Imagination Campus
Disney Imagination Campus provides a reimagined line of educational experiences for visiting student groups that harness beloved Disney franchises and includes a collection of interactive workshops, performances and special events centered around a variety of subjects that include performing arts, science & technology, arts & humanities, and leadership & innovation. The uniquely Disney curriculum takes place at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California and offers a hands-on approach to learning based on industry trends to supercharge the imaginations of students and inspire their career ambitions.
The 100 teachers selected to participate in the Disney Imagination Campus 100 Teachers Event are (listed by state):
Alabama
- Emma-Ruth Boatner – Prattville, AL
- Cody Carlton- Gadsden, AL
Arizona
- Julie Andrews – Tucson, AZ
- Natalie Carpenter – Phoenix, AZ
- Elisabeth Crowell – Gilbert, AZ
- Ronda Cunningham – Glendale, AZ
- Phillip Dukes – Tucson, AZ
- Ashley Fergus – Buckeye, AZ
- Beverly Foster – Tucson, AZ
- Kristina Griffin – Queen Creek, AZ
- Katie MacGregor – Prescott Valley, AZ
- Madison Meinhold – Buckeye, AZ
- Nancy Parra-Quinlan – Mesa, AZ
- Nubia Ruiz – Phoenix, AZ
- Sara Tellez – Phoenix, AZ
- Jennifer Ten Berge – Chino Valley, AZ
- Nasreen Wahid – Gilbert, AZ
- Michelle Watzig – Phoenix, AZ
- Brenda Wootan-Soto – Vail, AZ
- Garrick Yazzie – Kayenta, AZ
Arkansas
- Geneva Mendoza – Fort Smith, AR
- Amber Peck – Sherwood, AR
California
- Shelby Anderson – Costa Mesa, CA
- Rebekah Barnes – Bakersfield, CA
- Jean Chen-Wu – Los Alamitos, CA
- Kimberly deBerzunza – San Diego, CA
- Tira Keeton – Long Beach, CA
- Tiffany Liang – Arcadia, CA
- Aide Madrigal – Fresno, CA
- Jerrid Meikle – Simi Valley, CA
- Renee Nealon – Petaluma, CA
- Cherie Oshita-Gruidl – Murrieta, CA
- Hilda Placencia – Montebello, CA
- Madeline Watts – Sutter Creek, CA
- Colin Yamashita – Rowland Heights, CA
Colorado
- Manuela Bandres Tari – Brighton, CO
- Anne Farrell – Westminster, CO
- Laura Haller – Denver, CO
Connecticut
- Beth Catanzaro – Greenwich, CT
- Jeff DiLeone – South Windsor, CT
Delaware
- Melissa Tracy – Wilmington, DE
District of Columbia
- Samiyyah Blanford – Washington, DC
Florida
- Taylor Ashby – Cape Coral, FL
- Judy Bremner – Boca Raton, FL
- Jaquelyn Carroll – Jensen Beach, FL
- Sakeena Esteves – Fort Meyers, FL
- Matthew Thompson – Oviedo, FL
Georgia
- Jennifer Baker Biddle – Watkinsville, GA
- Rudie Denson – Rex, GA
- Steven King – Winterville, GA
Hawaii
- Christine Jackson – Honolulu, HI
Idaho
Armelia Briseno Ramos – Twin Falls, ID
Illinois
- Eric Combs – Olney, IL
- Melanie LeFevre – Oswego, IL
- April Schermann – Normal, IL
- Julie Witczak – Winnetka, IL
Kansas
- Jake Mischlich – Manhattan, KS
Kentucky
- Nicholas Claussen – Louisville, KY
Maine
- Lisa Farese – Scarborough, ME
Maryland
- Lydia Gonzalez – Odenton, MD
- Andrew Thornes – Olney, MD
Massachusetts
- Micaela Griffin – Plainville, MA
- Elizabeth Hurley – Charlton, MA
Michigan
- Liz Straayer – Grand Rapids, MI
Minnesota
- Tyler McCabe – Rochester, MN
Missouri
- Enza Ketcham – Liberty, MO
Nevada
- Michelle Matherly – Sparks, NV
- Courtney Rivas – Henderson, NV
New Hampshire
- Emmalee Garvin – Laconia, NH
New Jersey
- Angelo Bonavitacola – Fanwood, NJ
- Paul Garcia – Avenel, NJ
- Robin McLean – Columbus, NJ
- Colleen McNerney – Clark, NJ
New Mexico
- Margaret Bohlin – Roswell, NM
New York
- Melissa Beeman – Poughkeepsie, NY
- Diane Butler – Bronx, NY
- Lindsay Goddard – New York, NY
- Rachel Weber – White Plains, NY
Ohio
- Jordan Fairfax – Stow, OH
- Mark Soeder – Mentor, OH
Oklahoma
- Carole Mckenzie – Broken Arrow, OK
Oregon
- Jaimie Carr – Hood River, OR
Pennsylvania
- McCall Emerick – Brackenridge, PA
- Jennifer Kosior – Tarentum, PA
- Michael Sardarian – Philadelphia, PA
South Carolina
- Nicholas Jenkins – Goose Creek, SC
South Dakota
- Brooklynn Gross – Sioux Falls, SD
Tennessee
- Tylar Zettle – Chattanooga, TN
Texas
- Lori Barber – Wills Point, TX
- Angela Buentello – Leander, TX
- Jennifer Cintron – Pearland, TX
- Bobbie Rodriguez – Cleveland, TX
- Ashley Shirley – Houston, TX
- Trisha Turner – Tomball, TX
Utah
- Tory Cook – Murray, UT
- Kjersti Parkes – West Valley City, UT
Virginia
- Alex Long – Pennington Gap, VA
Washington
- Crystal Allenton – Seattle, WA
Wisconsin
- Kristin Grender – Cambridge, WI
Wyoming
- Cristina Jensen – Lander, WY
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