Scotts Valley Chamber News

Lisa Jacobs Educator of the Year Q Licht Youth of the Year

Brook Knoll’s Resource/Educational Specialist, Lisa Jacobs, has lived her lifelong dream to make a difference as a preschool through twelfth-grade teacher, for over 35 years.

Lisa has always treasured children’s diverse learning styles which helped her develop a highly individualized student approach, where each student’s need motivates her to find the most recent, and relevant information to apply to their success. Extensive travels have allowed her to foster an understanding and love of the diversity that makes individuals, and cultures unique and wonderful.

In order to best meet the unique needs of all students, Lisa obtained multiple credentials and certifications including: K-12 Multiple Subjects; Learning Disabilities; Teacher of Visually Impaired; Behavioral Intervention; Second-Language Learner; National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), and Educator of Autism.

Lisa’s dream of sharing knowledge, insight, and compassion with her many students has been especially important during significant challenges students have had to navigate with evacuations, the Pandemic, and reentering the complexity of social interactions.

Lisa is honored to collaborate with exceptional teachers, staff, families, and community members to help develop students’ confidence and unique skills, so they can go out into the world and make a difference of their own. She couldn’t have made this impact without support from her large family, husband, children, and grandchildren who graciously share her attention with her family of students.

Lisa says “My greatest wish is that my students will believe in themselves as much as I will always believe in them”.

Celebrating 42 Years of Managing & Selling Homes throughout Santa Cruz County — 1981 - 2023

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$1600/mo Newly Renovated Studio Cottage on Redwood in Boulder Creek. Close to town. No pets. Available mid-April

$1450/mo Private room in a house on Glenwood Drive in Scotts Valley. Private bathroom. Laundry. Full kitchen. Deck. Views. PG&E & Water incl. Available Now

QLicht is a senior at Scotts Valley High School. He founded the Purple Sticker Project to make books with positive LGBTQ+ representation more accessible to students.

He participated in the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s $30,000 LGBTQ+ Literature Project, which will distribute curated lists of ten books with positive LGBTQ+ representation to every public elementary, middle, and high school in the county.

Q worked as a Santa Cruz County Queer and Trans Youth Councilmember, where he surveyed over eight hundred high school students and administrators to improve the safety and accessibility of school all-gender bathrooms. He co-designed an LGBTQ+ themed Safe Space poster that is now in classrooms, offices, and stores all over the county and beyond.

Q served on the 2022 Queer and Trans Youth Summit planning committee, helping coordinate this annual severalhundred-person event.

Last year, he spoke at a City Council meeting in support of flying the pride flag at City Hall for Pride Month.

He has spoken about the importance of listening to and respecting LGBTQ+ youth at several Santa Cruz County Office of Education town hall meetings, the California Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee Symposium, and the State of Mind radio show.