WATCH: Rep. Dave Min Honors Irvine Elementary School Teacher for “Teacher of the Year” Award

WATCH: Rep. Dave Min Honors Irvine Elementary School Teacher for “Teacher of the Year” Award

<span>WATCH: Rep. Dave Min Honors Irvine Elementary School Teacher for “Teacher of the Year” Award</span> <span><span>Katie.Kerins@m…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-09T17:05:59-04:00" title="Friday, May 9, 2025 - 17:05">Fri, 05/09/2025 - 17:05</time> </span> <div class="evo-press-release__body"><p><span><strong>Washington, D.C. </strong>— Representative Dave Min (CA-47), spoke on the House floor to celebrate Tracy Havens, a second grade teacher at Hicks Canyon Elementary School in Irvine, who was named one of </span><a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/02/six-orange-county-educators-surprised-as-teacher-of-the-year/" target="_blank" title="https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/02/six-orange-county-educators-surprised-as-teacher-of-the-year/"><span><u>Orange County’s Teachers of the Year.</u></span></a><span>&nbsp;Hicks is one of only six out of 20,000 educators chosen to earn this prestigious award.&nbsp;</span><br>&nbsp;</p><p class="text-align-center"><a href="https://youtu.be/r9dL7jOU9Dc" target="_blank" title="https://youtu.be/r9dL7jOU9Dc"><span><strong><u>WATCH HERE</u></strong></span></a></p><p><span>Rep. Min’s transcribed remarks are below:&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>“I rise today to honor Tracy Havens, a second grade teacher at Hicks Canyon Elementary School in my district.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>Tracy has taught our kids in Irvine for the past 20 years, and had the honor recently of being one of six educators out of 20,000 across Orange County to be selected as Orange County Teacher of the Year.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>Tracy is known for her outstanding ability to build a positive classroom culture, and to find creative ways to engage her students.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>She goes above and beyond outside of the classroom as well. She mentors teacher candidates and serves as a lead math model for her district, while also helping her students leave their mark through community initiatives.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>Teachers like Tracy inspire us all and are the foundation of the American Dream. As a product of California public schools myself, the father of three young kids in California public schools, and a former educator, I know how important public education is for economic advancement.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>Dedicated teachers like Tracy, who go the extra mile for their students, are the key to a good public education.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span>So congratulations, Tracy, on earning Teacher of the Year, and thank you to the thousands of teachers across Orange County for your tireless work to lift up future generations.”</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p class="text-align-center"><em><span><strong>###</strong></span></em></p></div> <div class="evo-press-release__field-evo-issues"> <span class="field__label font-weight-bold"> Issues<span class="field__label__suffix mr-2">:</span> </span> <span class="field__items"> <span class="field__item mr-2"><a href="http://min.house.gov/issues/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></span> </span> </div> <div class="evo-press-release__field-evo-congress-number"> <div class="field__label font-weight-bold"> Congress Number </div> <div class="field__item"><a href="http://min.house.gov/taxonomy/term/4" hreflang="en">119th Congress</a></div> </div> <div class="col-auto">May 9, 2025 </div><div class="col-auto"><a href="http://min.house.gov/media/press-releases" alt="View Press Release listings">Press Release</a></div><div class="col-auto">May 15, 2025 </div>