Catherine Borek

Catherine Borek’s mission as an educator is to provide “a rigorous curriculum, a beautiful and dignified classroom, and a space where scholars feel valued and seen, where their stories matter, and where creativity and problem solving are our goals.” And to that end, she hopes that her students know that they are just as worthy of an excellent education “as the sons and daughters of Supreme Court justices, hedge fund managers, and tech company CEOs….”

Not only is Catherine an exemplary English teacher, but during her tenure at Dominguez High School, she also resurrected the school’s drama program and guided her students to publish a play with Pen in the Community, compete in the Poetry Out Loud regionals, run the LA Marathon, and start a rugby club! 

An AVID teacher as well, Catherine knows that playfulness with rigorous curriculum engages student curiosity and facilitates learning. In the aftermath of distance learning, she believes that students need opportunities to hone their social interaction skills and engage with one another. In her drama classroom, she knows her job is, in part, to encourage students to let their creativity flow in a collaborative setting, knowing that most of her students will not go on to become actors, “but will absolutely use these collaborative skills in college and career – and life.”

Catherine Borek is also an incredible asset outside of the classroom. She leads English summer institutes with Compton High to highlight best practices and align goals, has started a Teacher Think Tank that includes teacher TED talks, and has created user-friendly, rigorous curriculum slides that are immediately accessible to colleagues. But she feels that her most important collaboration is dedicated to changing the culture of Dominguez by working with her AVID coordinator and her design team family to identify problems, research causes, and brainstorm solutions.

As Catherine explains, “This is my life’s work.  And at graduation, an alumnus will see me in Year 26 and post on social media, ‘Borek is still here!’”