With energy, empathy, and precision, this Monte Vista Elementary School first-grade teacher turned her own childhood struggle to read into a classroom superpower
Natalie Wilkes, a first-grade teacher in the Hope Elementary School District’s Monte Vista Elementary School, was announced today as the 2026 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. The Santa Barbara County Education Office shared the news during the May 8, 2025, County Board of Education meeting.
A leader in early literacy and inclusive instruction, Natalie Wilkes has spent 14 years at Monte Vista Elementary. She played a key role in reshaping her campus’ reading intervention program and advancing district-wide dyslexia awareness. By blending research-based strategies with personal experience, Natalie guides students to embrace their unique learning styles and feel confident in their abilities…