News release
The Castaic Union School District has announced that Debbie Rupel, eighth-grade teacher at Castaic Middle School, has been named the 2022-2023 District Teacher of the Year.
Upon receiving her master’s in English education from California State University, Northridge, Rupel spent two years as a substitute teacher with neighboring school districts as well as Los Angeles Unified School District. She then began her teaching career at Castaic Middle School, where she has taught history, English, and yearbook during her 18-year tenure. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a minor in history from CSUN and is a graduate of Granada Hills High School.
Rupel has been recognized as Teacher of the Month, October 2018, and Teacher of the Year, 2010. She also received the Calder-Smith Outstanding Graduate Award 2013, Department of Secondary Education at CSUN, and the CSUN Outstanding Academic Achievement 2003.
She and her husband enjoy visiting the beach, and she also enjoys reading, gardening and scrapbooking. She has three children and two grandchildren.
“I love teaching for Castaic Union School District because of the people,” Rupel said in a prepared statement. “I work with other outstanding educators, who constantly inspire me to be my best self, and I teach a diverse group of students who motivate me to continually improve my practice, each and every day.”
The other three district finalists are: Dakota Barnes, a fifth-grade teacher at Castaic Elementary School; Mary Edison, a fifth-grade teacher at Live Oak Elementary School; and Kate Boron, a kindergarten teacher at Northlake Hills Elementary School.
