Cuny reflects on White House Teachers of the Year dinner 

Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny (left) with his son, Dylan, outside the White House before the "Teachers of the Year" State Dinner. Courtesy photo.
Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny (left) with his son, Dylan, outside the White House before the "Teachers of the Year" State Dinner. Courtesy photo.
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Casey Cuny has had quite the year. 

The Valencia High School teacher was selected in October as one of the five California Teachers of the Year. Since then, the English teacher has been honored across the state and the country, his latest stop being the White House. 

Cuny and Teachers of the Year from across the country were invited earlier this month to the first-ever “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner, hosted by First Lady Jill Biden ahead of Teacher Appreciation Week. 

Cuny was named the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Teacher of the Year last May before L.A. County made him the county Teacher of the Year in October. 

“It was truly magical and a bit surreal, and it was an honor to represent all the great teachers in the state of California, and the even more amazing teachers from the Hart district,” Cuny said in a phone interview. 

Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny (left) sat next to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right) at the "Teachers of the Year" State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny (left) sat next to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right) at the “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny stands in front of a portrait of President Barack Obama during the "Teacher of the Year" State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
Valencia High School teacher Casey Cuny stands in front of a portrait of President Barack Obama during the “Teacher of the Year” State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.

The event was the fourth time that Biden has invited the Teachers of the Year for a celebration at the White House, according to a news release. 

“Tonight, we celebrate you, because teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a calling, and all of you were called to this profession for a reason,” the first lady said in a prepared statement. “You believe that a better world is possible – and you make that world real, one student at a time. To answer the call of teaching, is in itself, an act of hope. You look at your students and don’t just see who they are today – you see all the possibility of tomorrow. You help them find the light within themselves, and that light lives on in all of you.” 

Cuny, who was with his son, Dylan, said he walked through one of the White House libraries before eventually taking his seat. There, he found a card filled with messages from Valencia High English teachers as well as his son, Landon, a senior at Valencia, and Principal Pete Getz. 

“I started crying immediately,” Cuny said. “It was really special to have something from home with me there in that room.”

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The seat to his right at his table was empty at first when he went to sit down, but was eventually taken by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who grew up in Agoura. 

“I tried to introduce myself, and he said, ‘Oh, I know who you are, Casey. You’re from Valencia High School,’” Cuny said. “We talked about Los Angeles the whole night. It was surreal to be sitting there with the second gentleman, just talking about golf courses in L.A., and things like that. That was pretty amazing.” 

There was even a surprise appearance from President Joe Biden, who was not scheduled to be at the White House that night. 

“He came in and he took the mic and he welcomed us all,” Cuny said. “He cracked some jokes and he essentially said, ‘I just got in a little bit early, and I knew that Jill would be really upset with me if I didn’t stop in here.’ That was kind of funny.” 

In Washington, D.C., for a total of six days, Cuny was busy for much of that. He met with several members of Congress and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and his staff about some of the problems teachers are facing. 

First Lady Jill Biden addresses attendees at the "Teachers of the Year" State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
First Lady Jill Biden addresses attendees at the “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
President Joe Biden made an appearance at the "Teachers of the Year" State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.
President Joe Biden made an appearance at the “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner held at the White House. Courtesy photo.

Cuny said he liked talking to the decision-makers because he felt like they were actively seeking to learn how they can help teachers. 

“What I loved about this teacher group was, we were there to advocate,” Cuny said. “No one was there to say, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea, thank you very much.’ No, we were there to say, ‘There’s a problem with this and there’s a problem with that. And what you guys really need to focus on is this.’ And it was fantastic.” 

A main topic was the current teacher shortage across the nation. Cuny said he was impressed that the legislators were the ones bringing up the notion that teachers are underpaid when he was expecting those conversations to center around how they would like to see education fixed. 

“Really, what everyone wanted to talk about was that we need to elevate the teaching profession and that we want to communicate that it takes a village to raise a child and I think a teacher is an integral part of that village,” Cuny said. “I think that what’s made Santa Clarita so amazing and thrive is the great schools that we have.” 

With the school year coming to a close and a new list of Teachers of the Year across the county, state and country set to be honored in the coming months, Cuny is looking forward to the spotlight being taken off him somewhat and just focusing on his classroom. 

“I feel awful for my students,” Cuny said. “I’ve been gone more this year than ever in my career. But yes, I’m looking forward to it, because that’s what it’s all about for me. This has been wonderful, the accolades and recognition, but it only happened because of the work I’ve been putting in the last 22 years. And I want to get back to it.” 

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