2011 Orange County Teacher of the Year Combines Interests in Science, Music, and Travel
UCI DoE Alumna
Holly Steele is a Southern California native. She earned her
undergraduate degree in biology at Rice University in Houston, Texas. In 2005
she earned her single subject teacher credential and graduate degree, a Master
of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in elementary and second education, at the
University of California, Irvine.
The past six years of Holly’s teaching career have been spent teaching seventh
and eighth grade science at Beechwood School, a K-8 public school in
Fullerton. Originally drawn to science as a competitor in the Science
Olympiad program, Holly now coaches a team of her own. While science is
her first love, she is also an ardent supporter of music education and is a
member of the school band. In 2009 Beechwood School was the first Orange County
public school to earn the coveted International Baccalaureate Middle Years
Programme authorization.
Always looking to expand her horizons, Holly spent ten weeks this summer as a
graduate student onboard the MV Explorer with Semester at Sea. While touring
the Mediterranean and North Africa, Holly studied how culture affects teaching
and learning. She is excited to put her experiences into practice in her
classroom.
In May of 2007 Holly was selected as the High Impact Teacher in Math, Science
or Technology by Project Tomorrow.
More recently Holly was honored as one of the five 2011 Orange County Teachers of the Year.
