Contact Information:

email: criner_we@auhsd.us

phone: (714)220-4040

Twitter: @MrsWCriner

Education:

I grew up in Orange County, but went to the bay area for college at UC Berkeley. I loved the bay area, but decided to come back to my roots and work in the OC. After earning my teaching credential in English, I received my Masters of Science from Cal State Fullerton.

Professionally:

I started teaching in 1998 and have taught junior and senior high. I have been at Western High School since 2001. There are several things I love about Western. Number one is the students! These young people are awesome! It is also great that they come from different cultures; it really creates a wonderful environment to learn and become an understanding citizen. Another aspect I love about Western is the staff. We have great teachers here that care about their students. Go Pios!

I am also an adjunct professor at Cal State Fullerton. I have been teaching there since 2005. It is fun teaching adults. Most of my classes I teach are for students learning to become teachers. I now have colleagues at Western that were once in my class at Fullerton--super cool!

Personally:

Outside of work, I love being a mom. I have two incredible daughters. We try to keep them involved in activities throughout the year. They do lots of different sports, including: swimming, horseback riding, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, ballet/tap. We also enjoy playing in our backyard, having picnics, going to the park, going to the beach, or playing games.

In my personal time, I enjoy exercising (running or swimming), reading, scrapbooking/card making, and watching movies. Not that I get much time to myself, but when I do it is usually quiet time.

Honors/Awards:

• 2005 Apple of Character Award
• 2008 Apple of Character Award
• 2009-10 Western High School Teacher of the Year
• 2011-12 Anaheim Union High School District EL Teacher of the Year
• as of 2017 National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescent English Language Arts