La Quinta Middle School teacher Dr. Farah Ortega-Choate inducted into Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame
La Quinta Middle School teacher Dr. Farah Ortega-Choate has been inducted into the Jostens Renaissance® Hall of Fame.
Dr. Ortega-Choate and other Jostens Renaissance award winners were honored at the 30th annual Jostens Renaissance Global Conference in Dallas, Texas earlier this month.
The Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame honor is presented to educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership by improving the school’s climate and culture, which is tied to improvements in academic achievement among all students at their respective schools. They have also made a significant impact in supporting the Jostens Renaissance Education program at the state, national, and international level.
Dr. Ortega-Choate received the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame honorary ring, jacket and award from Michael Burgess, President and CEO, Jostens, and Mike Wolf, Vice President of Jostens Renaissance Education.
“Jostens is honored to welcome Dr. Farah Ortega-Choate into the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame,” Wolf said. “This award is designed to recognize the passion and dedication of educators who are a driving force in impacting students’ academic performance and character. Farah has certainly demonstrated that at La Quinta Middle School and previous schools over the past 21 years. We were honored to celebrate her accomplishments at JRGC.”
"From the first moment I met her I could feel the positive energy and radiant smile that she passed on. I was able to see how much of an impact she had on her students and how much she genuinely cared for each one of them. She has been a force of nature with her positivity and powerful messages. She has grown from impacting students in her classroom to impacting students around the county. Farah has a gift of showing her vulnerability while the same time encouraging others to be better."
- Christian Luna, one of Dr. Ortega-Choate's nominators
Dr. Ortega-Choate has been actively coordinating Jostens Renaissance for a majority of her 21 years in education, having been an advocate for Renaissance at the local, regional, and national levels, a regular presenter at conferences, including being the first Latina keynote speaker at the 2023 California Association of Directors of Activities conference (CADA).
Desert Sands Unified School District Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Marcus Wood describes her impact: “Farah works tirelessly to engage an entire student body as well as the teaching and support staff on every campus she works at. It is evident in every rally, rewards days, and other student recognition that Farah facilitated the event because of the quality and positive impact each of these has had.”
