LCPS Names its 2023 Teacher of the Year and Support Personnel of the Year

Las Cruces Public Schools announces the selection of this year’s Teacher of the Year and Educational Support Personnel of the Year. Cathy Turietta-Huber was named the 2023 Teacher of the Year and Amelia Apolonio is the 2023 Educational Support Personnel of the Year. The honors were announced Friday at the Celebration of Excellence dinner hosted by the LCPS Foundation.  

Cathy Turietta-Huber, 2023 LCPS Teacher of the Year

(Cathy Turietta-Huber, 2023 LCPS Teacher of the Year)

Principals from all LCPS schools nominate a Teacher of the Year candidate and an Educational Support Personnel candidate. Educational support staff can be any LCPS employee who is not a certified teacher. Winners were chosen from 10 semi-finalists which were narrowed down to three finalists in each category.  

Amelia Apolonio, 2023 LCPS Educational Support Personnel of the Year

(Amelia Apolonio, 2023 LCPS Educational Support Personnel of the Year)

The Teacher of the Year finalists were Alexis Black, a ninth-grade Biology teacher and 12th grade Advanced Placement Biology teacher at Mayfield High School, Cathy Turietta-Huber, a fifth-grade teacher at Tombaugh Elementary school and Jennifer Reyes, a bilingual program teacher and coordinator for kindergarten through fifth grade at Desert Hills Elementary School.  

“Every day is exciting,” said 2023 Teacher of the Year winner Cathy Turietta-Huber. “No two days are the same, and there are no boring days teaching students. In fifth grade, we want to get students ready for middle school, which is a very exciting time in their young lives.”  
Turietta-Huber will begin her 22nd year of teaching with LCPS and has been recognized as a Highly Effective Educator by the New Mexico Public Education Department.        

The Educational Support Personnel of the Year finalists were Amelia Apolonio, a computer technician at the LCPS Service Desk, Mike Sanchez, the lead mechanic at the LCPS Physical Plant and Armando Iniguez, the lead custodian at Hillrise Elementary School. 

“I enjoy this job because I’m able to make sure the students and staff have their devices working,” said 2023 Educational Support Personnel of the Year winner Amelia Apolonio. “Working the Service Desk, I’m also able to help parents so they can assist their children in what they need. To me, helping is the best part of my job.”  

For their honor, finalists were each given a $250 cash prize. Winners were awarded a $1,000 cash prize.  

The money was presented by Century Bank and Campos Photos, both sponsors of Friday’s Celebration of Excellence Dinner. Other sponsors include Nusenda Credit Union and MountainView Regional Medical Center.