Apodaca, Elementary Teacher of the Year, has worked in education for seven years, serving as a teacher for the last six and as an instructional aide during her first year with Killeen ISD. For the past three years, she has taught fourth-grade science at Bellaire Elementary. Prior to her current position, she taught all subjects at the second-grade level at Bellaire. She also taught for one year at Memorial Christian Academy.

Apodaca worked in Human Resources before deciding to become a teacher. She says that what began as a calling has developed into her life’s passion. Apodaca believes it is her responsibility to instill the love of learning and unstoppable curiosity within her students and help them to become “difference makers” in their world. She keeps her students engaged with hands-on learning and challenges them to work together to solve problems.

The Killeen ISD elementary teacher has received numerous awards and recognition, and was most recently named 2011 District Elementary and Campus Elementary (Bellaire) Teacher of the Year. She also was recognized as an outstanding first year teacher in 2006.

Apodaca is a proven leader. As a district CSCOPE Teacher Leader for the last two years, she has provided more than 30 hours of training for teachers in designing lesson activities and assessment within CSCOPE, the district’s curriculum management system. Apodaca also has served as campus webmaster and grade-level leader for Bellaire for the last two years. In addition, she has lead training on integrating technology into the classroom.

Apodaca earned her master’s in educational administration from Lamar University and her bachelor’s in international studies from Northern Kentucky University. She obtained her teacher certification from Tarleton State University. She is a member of the ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE).

Apodaca enjoys volunteering and serves as a Sunday school kindergarten teacher and as a volunteer for the Body of Christ Clinic in Belton and the American Councils for International Education. She also has participated in two construction mission trips to Mexico. Just this past year, she and her husband became host parents to two high school foreign exchange students.

Apodaca resides in Salado with her husband Michael. She has three children and two grandchildren.

Rasco, Region 12’s Secondary Teacher of the Year, has been teaching for five years, all with Belton High School. He currently teaches 12th-grade economics and Advanced Placement (AP) macroeconomics. He has taught 10th-grade AP world history and ninth grade world geography as well. Both of Rasco’s parents were teachers and his father was his inspiration to teach.

Rasco continuously strives to improve his teaching skills—never getting too comfortable with lessons or activities. This past year, he applied for and was awarded a $30,000 Project Innovate Grant to bring iPads into the classroom, which required him to reinvent his teaching style to integrate the new technology. He has set up a web site with blogs, wikis, forums, calendars, worksheets and lessons plans that he uses with his students.

The Belton High School teacher strives to instill the drive to improve in all of his students because he believes it is a skill that all students must have. He works hard to actively model an interest in learning, improving and asking questions and uses real-world examples in daily class activities. He feels that examples from the “real world” help students relate a lesson to their future and/or connect it to their past.

Rasco enjoys leading technology initiatives and integrating technology into the classroom. He shares his passion with fellow colleagues through Mac and iPad trainings in his district and state conference presentations. He was chosen by Apple to attend an Apple Academy in California this summer, which will allow him to take the lead in training staff and students. Rasco is currently in the process of helping an entire middle school move to the instructional model he uses and will help convert the whole district in the coming years. In addition, he leads staff development in Challenge Based Learning, the district’s instructional model.

He has won several teaching awards and was most recently named the 2012 Belton ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year and Belton High School Teacher of the Year. He also was chosen as the Belton Rotary Teacher of the Quarter this past January.

Rasco graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Composite Social Science with a teaching certificate from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Rasco is just as active in the community as he is in his district. He volunteers at his church, hosts a weekly student-lead Bible study and coaches the Belton Challenge Team, a group of students who compete in an academic trivia competition. Since 2009, he has served as treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Temple Santa Fe Community Credit Union.

Rasco and his wife Randi reside in Temple and are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.

A panel of representatives from local teacher organizations chose Apodaca and Rasco on the basis of their responses to several essay questions. As Region 12 Teachers of the Year, they will serve as ambassadors for public education in Texas participating in special appearances, workshops and other presentations throughout the upcoming year.

The Texas Teacher of the Year will be announced September 10. ESC Region 12 will honor Region 12 Teachers, Superintendent and School Board of the Year in the fall.

For more information or TOTY photos, contact Jennifer Marshall-Higgins at 254.297.1198 or jhiggins@esc12.net.