Mecca Elementary teacher honored as 2026 Riverside County Teacher of the Year
Cynthia White
MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Office of Education announced on Thursday that Mecca Elementary teacher Marisa Gaytan is one of four teachers chosen as a 2026 Riverside County Teacher of the Year.
Gaytan, a fourth grade dual-language teacher, was met by more than 100 students, along with family, colleagues, a drum line, cheerleaders, and a flag team as she learned of the news.
RCOE says Mecca Elementary School is the same Coachella Valley Unified School District campus that Gaytan attended as a child, starting from pre-school. She is now in her ninth year of teaching there.
Gaytan commented, “I’m very proud of this school. It’s my home. It is where beautiful things happen and I always tell my students, if I can do it, you can do it as well because I was just like you.” She added, “I truly believe that it’s important for everyone to feel welcome and belong. We are a family and each of our successes are all of our successes.”
Officials say Marisa incorporates class chants, music, kinesthetic learning, and cultural references into her instruction along with extolling the virtues of bilingualism for the current and future success of her students. She empowers parents and families with strategies to advance dual-language development at home with their children, and invites Read With Me volunteer readers from the community to support students in a mentor-mentee relationship in the classroom.
She helped start the Keep It Clean (KIC) club on campus and partnered with a Kindergarten teacher to launch a Book Buddies program to develop mentorship, goal-oriented learning, and reading skills in students from both classes. She launched Wisdom Wednesdays as an opportunity for teachers to come together and share resources, perspectives, and support for one another.
Marisa earned her bachelor’s degree, bilingual authorization teaching credential, and master’s degree from the University of California, Davis.
The Riverside County Office of Education states that the Teachers of the Year are selected from nearly 20,000 educators in the county based on nominations by teachers, principals, and school district administrators. Applications are submitted to RCOE for review by a selection committee that chooses semi-finalists, conducts interviews and site visits, then selects the final four candidates before the county superintendent makes the announcements.
San Jacinto Unified School District preschool teacher Anthony Segura and Temecula Valley Unified School District high school science teacher Ziba Mayar were named as the first two 2026 Riverside County Teachers of the Year earlier this month. One more 2026 Riverside County Teacher of the Year will be revealed in an upcoming surprise visit, and all four teachers of the year will represent the county in the 2026 California Teacher of the Year competition.
Recent Riverside County teachers selected as California Teachers of the Year include:
2025 – Robert (Bob) Mauger, Corona High School, Corona-Norco USD
2022 – Nichi Aviña, Cielo Vista Charter School, Palm Springs USD
2021 – Keisa Brown, University Heights Middle School, Riverside USD, and Allison Cyr, Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
2020 – Brenda Chavez-Barreras, Good Hope Elementary School, Perris USD
2019 – Dr. Angel Mejico, El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco USD
2018 – Dr. Brian McDaniel, Painted Hills Middle School, Palm Springs USD
2017 – Shaun Bunn, Ethan A. Chase Middle School, Romoland School District
2016 – Michelle Cherland, Carrillo Ranch Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
2014 – Jessica Pack, James Workman Middle School, Palm Springs USD