MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Office of Education announced on Thursday that Mecca Elementary teacher Marisa Gaytan is one of four teachers chosen as a 2026 Riverside County Teacher of the Year.
Gaytan, a fourth grade dual-language teacher, was met by more than 100 students, along with family, colleagues, a drum line, cheerleaders, and a flag team as she learned of the news.
RCOE says Mecca Elementary School is the same Coachella Valley Unified School District campus that Gaytan attended as a child, starting from pre-school. She is now in her ninth year of teaching there…