By Richard Bammer

The paving of her road to being named the Vacaville Unified 2017 Teacher of the Year may have begun in the San Francisco Giants’ dugout.

In summer 2014, Tracy Ruiz, a 10th-grade Wood High English teacher, was one of 30 teachers nationwide named a Major League Baseball All-Star Teacher, an honor accorded by the Giants, following a Northern California competition, that included tickets to that year’s All-Star Game at Target Field in Minnesota.

As part of their nominating statement to the professional baseball team’s award program, teaching colleagues Lili Fisher and Brenda Hensley wrote “… to truly understand Tracy is to witness what she does for others.” And, they added, “From individual interactions to large-scale rallies and events, Tracy has been the driving force for culture change at school.”

Source: Vacaville Unified School District Teacher of the Year ‘a leader on campus’ – The Reporter