Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Former science teacher Alberto Carvalho now serves as Supt. of LAUSD

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Former science teacher Alberto Carvalho immigrated to the US with his family in search of a better life. He now serves as the Superintendent of Los Angeles Public Schools. Photo credit: The New York Times

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to positions of leadership and influence in their school districts. Alberto Carvalho is a fine example of this. Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a classroom teacher in Miami, Florida, rising to the position of Superintendent there. Currently, he works as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in California.

The former classroom teacher immigrated to the United States from Portugal with his family in search of a better life in about 1983. He was 17 years old at the time. At first, the family landed in New York, but later they relocated to Miami. Alberto was the first in his family to graduate from high school. 

Because of his determination and hard work, Alberto was able to put himself through college. He enrolled in courses first at Broward Community College, and later he earned a scholarship to Barry University, where he completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree.

Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a science teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School in Miami-Dade County. He taught physics, chemistry, and calculus there. After four years in the classroom, Alberto served the District in several leadership positions, including Assistant Principal and Chief Communications Officer, before his selection as the Superintendent. For 13 years, Alberto served in that role for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

During his tenure as Superintendent, Alberto garnered local, state, national, and international recognition. He was named Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year; the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; the 2016 winner of the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education; the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year; the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Superintendent of the Year. In addition, he garnered recognition by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America.

Alberto currently serves on the National Assessment Governing Board, to which he was appointed by the US Secretary of Education. He also serves as a committee member for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and as an Advisory Committee Member to the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance.

On Dec. 14, 2021, this Chalkboard Champion was hired to be the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. He continues to serve in this role today.

Elem teacher Julia Burgess lost in catastrophic Texas flooding

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Elementary school teacher Julia Burgess, her husband John, and the couple’s two sons have been lost in the catastrophic flooding that occurred in Texas on July 4, 2025. Photo credit: Bluebonnet News

This weekend, we continue to follow the stories of beloved educators who have perished in the catastrophic floods that occurred in the Texas Hill Country on July 4. On that day, in the early morning hours, massive flood waters swept through western Central Texas as families and campers got ready to celebrate the Independence Day weekend. Two of those campers, John Burgess and his wife, Julia Burgess, were staying with their two young sons in an RV campsite. The parents have been confirmed dead, and the boys have not yet been found. The couple’s daughter was a participant at a summer camp nearby, Camp Longhorn, that was not affected by the flooding.

Julia Burgess was employed as an elementary school teacher in the Liberty Independent School District, located just outside of Houston. She had worked at the school since 2020. Formerly, she was a teacher at Lakewood Elementary in nearby Belton.  In addition to teaching, Julia was a volunteer for the Junior League of Bell County. Her husband was a small business owner.

Julia Burgess was 39 years old. Our sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of John and Julia Burgess.

 

Texas educators Reece and Paula Zunker perish in July 4 floodwaters

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Tivy High School teacher and boys’ soccer coach Reece Zunker, his wife Paula, a former teacher, and their two children perished in the floodwaters that decimated a campground in Kerrville, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4. Photo credit: Mail Online

We are greatly saddened to report that two educators perished in the floodwaters that decimated a campground in Kerrville, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4. Reece Zunker and his wife Paula Zunker and their two children, Lyle and Holland, were lost in the catastrophe.

Reece taught and served as the Head Coach for the boys’ soccer team at Tivy High School in the Kerrville Independent School District. He has been described as “a passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach” by colleagues at the school. “His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten,” officials at the school posted online last Sunday. His career as an educator spanned 12 years.

Jonathan Ellington, who played for Zunker and graduated from Tivy High in 2019, remembered his former coach fondly. “Coach Zunker is the whole reason we excelled in soccer at Tivy in 2019,” Ellington recalled. “He taught us to work hard, to move as a team, and how to trust and rely on one another’s instincts in the beautiful game,” Ellington continued. “He was a father figure to us all and was an integral part of the culture at Kerrville Tivy,” Ellington concluded.

Reece was named the Tivy High School Teacher of the Year, and was also named the school district’s Secondary Teacher of the Year, says Kerrville Superintendent Dr. Brent Ringo. “He was so respected by our coaches and teachers, and beloved by our students,” Dr. Ringo recalled.

Reece’s wife, Paula, was a former teacher at Tiny High School. “The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later,” officials posted in their online post.

The family had been vacationing at a river house near Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, when the disaster occurred. More than 120 people were swept away and killed in the flood, with at least 160 are still missing.

Texas teacher Jeff Wilson lost in catastrophic Texas floods

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Teachers at Kingwood Park High School are mourning the loss of Jeff Wilson, a Career Technology educator who perished in the catastrophic floods that hit Kerrville, Texas, on July 4. Photo credit: KHOU-11

The community of professional educators in the Humble County, Northeast Houston in Texas, is mourning the loss one of their own. Jeff Wilson, a teacher at Kingwood Park High School and his wife, Amber, and son, Shiloh, perished in the catastrophic floods that hit Kerrville, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4.

In a career that spanned 30 years, Jeff taught Career Technology at both Kingwood Park High School. He instructed courses in collision repair and auto body refinishing. He also taught at Humble High School in the same school district.

In addition to his work at the high school, Jeff also spent 14 years as an instructor for I-Car, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Repair. He once said I-CAR courses are valuable to his students because of the knowledge and skills they provide, which makes his students more employable. I-CAR has reported that over the years, 98% of Jeff’s students achieved Platinum ProLevel 1 status.

Family friend Johnny Dudley remembers the popular teacher with fondness. “Jeff has been my friend for over 25 years. We went to a bunch of the same rodeos back when he was riding,” he recalls. “Now his 12-year-old son Shiloh is riding and Jeff loves nothing more than to haul him to junior rodeos. We know that they were in Kerrville for a rodeo.” Dudley continues. In his day, says Dudley, Jeff rode steers, bulls, and saddle bronc horses. He was forced to give up the activity in 2004 because of injuries he sustained from a motorcycle accident.

The Humble Independent School District (ISD) encompasses the city of Humble, parts of Houston (including Kingwood), and portions of unincorporated Harris County (including Atascocita and Fall Creek), with a small section extending into Montgomery County.

Jeff and his family will be greatly missed, say all who knew him.