Local educator a finalist in Giants’ All-Star Teacher Award

A Petaluma teacher is a finalist for the 2023 All-Star Teacher Award, given out yearly by NBC Sports Bay Area along with $30,000 for the school they represent – but she’ll need online votes to win.

Saskia Kramer Wong, director of Boost School within Cypress School in Petaluma, is one of five finalists for this year’s award, which is decided in an online contest and sponsored by Provident Credit Union.

NBC Sports Bay Area, a regional sports network co-owned by NBC and the San Francisco Giants, has presented this award for 16 years now in order to recognize “middle and high school teachers in Northern and Central California for their extraordinary dedication to their students in school and in the community.”

The school of the prize-winning teacher – determined in an online vote ending Monday, June 5 – will receive $30,000, with the winner announced prior to a Giants game this summer.

Wong is a specialized educator who uses her degree in Conductive Education to help students with neurological motor challenges to move and live independently.

Her work is not confined to the classroom: Wong travels throughout the Bay Area to support students who cannot attend Boost, and trains teachers in ways to incorporate movement into learning. She also runs a four-week summer camp that attracts mobility-challenged students from around the world.

Cypress School is a program of United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay, whose mission is “To enhance the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, their families, and their communities.”

To learn more about the contest or to vote for an All-Star teacher, visit NBC Sports Bay Area’s website at nbcsports.com/bayarea/AST.