Mr. Black awarded the Educator of the Year

Tina Keshishian, Photo Editor|February 5, 2016

Tina Keshishian

Mr. David Black teaches his class behind his desk. Black worked very hard and made many contributions to Clark’s curriculum.

On Jan. 28 at the Oakmont Country Club, the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce awarded David Black as the Educator of the Year in 2015.

At the awards dinner, each honoree is recognized and given an award for their contributions. Black first found out about being the winner of this award when he received a letter in the mail. In an email interview, Black stated that he believes his efforts in robotics and engineering at Clark contributed to him being well-qualified for the award.

Since 2012, Black has been the lead mentor of Clark’s Robotics Team, Team 696. With the help of Black, the Circuit Breakers compete in FIRST robotics and have scored well in many competitions. Aside from mentoring the robotics team, Black also teaches mechanical design, CAD, engineering classes, and Computer Aided Manufacturing.

Although the award was a nice touch and Black was honored to receive it, Black claims that he doesn’t do his job for recognition. “The award means little compared to the learning experiences that I’ve been able to provide to hundreds of students over the past five and a half years. To build a culture where engineering and technology is recognized, understood and celebrated is the real reason I am here,” Black said. “When my students discover their passion for engineering and enter post-secondary studies and careers in the engineering field, that is true success, and results like that mean more to me than a plastic trophy ever will.”

Principal Doug Dall also gave a short speech at the dinner. “He deserves [the award] and worked very hard for it,” Dall said. “We’re very proud of him.”

To commend and celebrate local community members and organizations for their achievements and contributions to their area, the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce annually hosts an Installation and Awards Dinner.
Each year, at the Installation and Awards Dinner, the Chamber of Commerce awards one person or organization for each of their 12 categories. Aside from the Educator of the Year Award, other categories honor firefighters, business people, peace officers, businesses, and organizations.