Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Five Pasadena Teachers to Be Honored by Rotary — And Receive a Bigger Check Than Ever Before

The club’s Teachers of Excellence program raises its individual award for the first time in 36 years, from $1,500 to $2,300

For 36 years, the Rotary Club of Pasadena has been putting money into the hands of exemplary local teachers. This April 29, for the first time, it will be more money.

The club announced it is raising the individual award in its Teachers of Excellence program from $1,500 — the grant amount since the program’s founding in 1990 — to $2,300, according to the Rotary Club’s announcement. The increase, the club said, is meant to prevent inflation from diminishing what the recognition is worth. Five Pasadena Unified School District teachers will receive that award at the club’s 36th Annual Teachers of Excellence Ceremony, set for noon Wednesday, April 29, at the University Club of Pasadena.

The honorees, selected through a process that includes classroom observations and essay reviews by a committee of Rotarians and members of the Pasadena Educational Foundation, are: Maria Barajas, second grade, Hamilton Elementary; Michael Birnbryer-Lao, music, Blair High School; Sonia Covarrubias, kindergarten, Willard Elementary; Ani Karapetyan, sixth grade science and math, Eliot Arts Magnet; and Jocelyn Strickland, third grade, Jackson Elementary.

Each winner’s school will also receive $500 for educational purposes, with funding provided by the Pasadena Rotary Foundation, the club’s charitable arm.

PUSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco is scheduled to attend as a special guest, joined by other district administrators and representatives from state and local elected officials’ offices. Awardees also receive recognition from those officials.

The Teachers of Excellence program was launched in 1990 through the efforts of Rotary members Joe Lonergan and Al Lowe — both now deceased — and Christle Balvin, among others. Over 36 years, it has recognized five PUSD teachers annually, serving the communities of Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. Nomination packages include written essays from both the nominee and the nominating principal; selection committee members also visit classrooms to evaluate finalists directly.

The 2026 program is co-chaired by Rotarians Mary Lou Byrne and Gary W. Kearney.

The April 29 ceremony is open to the public and will be held at the University Club of Pasadena, 175 N. Oakland Ave. A reservation is required; lunch is $45 per person, according to the club’s announcement. To RSVP, email office@pasadenarotary.com.

The club, which describes itself as the oldest and largest Rotary Club in the San Gabriel Valley and has been meeting weekly at the University Club since its founding in 1920, holds its regular Wednesday luncheons at that address.