Riverside County Principal of the Year Named

Great Oak High School Principal Marc Horton was named the Riverside County Principal of the Year by Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Kenneth M. Young, in an early morning surprise visit in the main lobby of the Temecula Valley Unified School District high school last week. Horton stepped out of his office just as school was starting to the applause of the gathered crowd that included his mother, Christie Horton, who teaches at nearby Luiseño Elementary, and his wife, Cindy Horton. “I’m really only good at one thing,” he said, once the shock of the surprise subsided. “And that is surrounding myself with people who are smarter and better than me. It’s an honor to serve alongside great people.” A resident of Temecula, Horton has served as principal at Great Oak since 2013. He previously served as a principal at elementary schools in Temecula Valley and Hemet Unified School Districts. Mr. Horton started his career as an elementary school teacher and has been described by colleagues as a “leader of leaders” and a principal who is “truly a master at both the precision skills needed by a strong leader as well as the people skills.” According to a recommendation letter from Temecula Valley Unified School District Superintendent Tim Ritter, Marc’s capacity, motivation, and drive as an educational leader stem from his childhood which included a brain tumor that doctors estimated at a 50/50 chance of survival. After two years in and out of the hospital watching friends lose their battle, Marc decided that if given the chance, he would never abuse what he had been given and from that point on was on a mission to make a difference. His educational path consisted of studies in pre-med, a degree in psychology, roles as a social worker, and then eventually, a teacher. Horton’s selection is the fourth of seven announcements of the 2016 Riverside County Educators of the Year. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, the first three honorees were named (see article titled "Surprise Announcement"). The remaining surprises will be conducted over the next several weeks in districts across the county. All honorees will be officially recognized at the annual Riverside County Celebrating Educators Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at the Riverside Convention Center. The 2016 Riverside County Teachers of the Year were announced in June 2015 and will be honored at the same event this May. “We started making the surprise announcements in person a few years ago. I felt it was important to bring the surprise recognition visits to the location where they do their excellent work every single day,” Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth M. Young said. “It’s been obvious from the reaction of employees today that these selections were right on target.” The 2016 Riverside County Educators of the Year are as follows: Classified Administrator of the Year: Evita Tapia-Gonzalez, Communications Manager, Corona-Norco Unified School District Confidential Employee of the Year: Regina Castellano, Administrative Assistant, Moreno Valley Unified School District Classified Employee of the Year: Katie Chapman, Assistant to the Director, Alvord Unified School District Principal of the Year: Marc Horton, Principal of the Year, Temecula Valley Unified School District Certificated Administrator of the Year: TBD School Counselor of the Year (New Award for 2016): TBD Site Support Employee of the Year: TBD Educators of the year are selected by a committee comprised of Riverside County educators—including former honorees—that review nominations, letters of recommendation, and other criteria. Committee members also conduct selected site visits and interviews as part of the awards process.