John Facundo, the sixth grade teacher at El Dorado Adventist School in Placerville, Calif., was recently honored with a 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Alumni Awards Foundation. The Alumni Awards Foundation recognized Facundo, along with 11 other teachers and administrators from North America, as well as notable Adventist alumni, at an awards weekend that was held Feb. 23-24 in Arizona.

Looking back, Facundo recognized God's hand in guiding him to Pacific Union College after his work with the Migrant Education Program revealed both a talent for teaching and the need for credentialing. In the spring of 1977, he was hired as a teacher at Sierra View Junior Academy, where he worked for 20 years. A call to Placerville in 1997 brought him to his current classroom.

Facundo's students are exposed to a lifetime of wisdom and spiritual experience, along with the typical subjects of a sixth grade curriculum. He teaches his students to treat people with the dignity and respect that he models in his own treatment of others. "You learn respect in Mr. Facundo's class," said former student Christopher Helms. "He also has a really fun atmosphere in his classroom and prepares students well for the next year."

Highlights of the sixth grade academic year are the "Rube Goldberg" project, designed to display the use of simple machines; the mouse mobile project; and the Yosemite outdoor education week. Physical education takes a place of importance with Facundo. He capitalizes on his students' natural love of play and uses it to build relationships, develop physical skills, and cultivate Christian sportsmanship. High school students in his Spanish class benefit from Facundo's first-hand experience with the language, as well as his strong sense of Hispanic heritage and human rights issues.

"His deeply spiritual nature is demonstrated in the methods he employs to reach his students and inspire them to achieve higher academic levels. This same quality enables him to inspire his students in many other ways," said Principal Larry Ballew. Fellow teacher Nancy Schoonover considers Facundo "the kind of teacher who causes you to reflect on your own teaching, which makes you a better teacher."

Former students have many fond memories of their sixth grade teacher: "He's funny and helped us with our work," says seventh-grader Laura Helms.

Danny Sepulveda, another former student, enjoyed Facundo's friendship. "He was more personable. He seemed more like a friend."

Facundo has a special place in his heart for his teaching colleagues and their children, the "TKs" (teachers' kids). He and his wife, Alice, have raised four "TKs" themselves, and share the wisdom of finding a balance between family and teaching with others.