Dunsmuir High School graduate Zach Swan, who died this past April at age 28 after a courageous battle with a rare form of cancer, is the winner of Comcast SportsNet’s 2010 All-Star Teacher Award.
Zach’s mother, Maribeth Dunn, was presented with a $10,000 check during an on-field ceremony at AT&T Park that included San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain prior to the Giants’ home game against the Florida Marlins on July 28.
Zach’s sister, Emma, also took part in the award presentation. The check was presented in his honor to benefit his school, Jefferson High in Daly City.
“It was a day we will never forget,” Maribeth Dunn said of the presentation, which took place just days after she received a letter in the mail that Zach wrote in November 2005, as he was nearing graduation the following spring. Zach wrote the letter to himself and pre-dated it for delivery five years later to his home in Dunsmuir. He wrote it 10 months after he was diagnosed with cancer. That diagnosis did not stop him from pursuing his educational goal, and he wrote the letter to remind himself later of how he felt about what he was doing at that time.
“What he said in the letter is the way he followed his career,” Dunn said. “He lived his life to the letter of that letter.”
“It is important to be as positive and constructive as possible because the will of a young person can be strengthened or broken in my classroom,” Zach wrote in the letter. “It is important to be fair and unbiased while realizing that not all students or athletes are created equal. My job as an educator is to find the strengths of the student and help them build from them rather than allow their weaknesses or setbacks to bring them down.”
Later he wrote, “I hope I am still alive to read this letter to remind me of why I want to teach, coach, train, mentor etc... But if I am not please think of my words as simply a way of thinking and living as it was for me in 2005 when my future on Earth was uncertain.”
Dunn said that as of early August she still did not know who mailed the letter.
Copies of the letter's two pages in Zach's own handwriting and the envelope it came in are attached.
Dunn said she felt “very proud and very humbled” by the All-Star Teacher presentation at AT&T Park. “We would have much preferred that (Zach) was here to accept the award... but either way, it’s pretty great.”
The award was presented by Ted Griggs, senior vice president and general manager of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area; Curt Heninger, regional senior vice president of Comcast California; and Jack O’Connell, California’s superintendent of public instruction.
Jefferson High School told Comcast it intends to use the award money to establish a scholarship in Zachary Swan’s name.
Zach’s family has already created a memorial scholarship in his name and hopes to continue it in the future, Maribeth Dunn said. Emma Swan made the first presentation of the Zach Swan scholarship to Jamie Kirch and LT Hisey during the 2010 DHS graduation.
“Comcast SportsNet is pleased to honor Zachary Swan with the 2010 All-Star Teacher Award and present his family a check for $10,000 for Jefferson High School,” said Griggs.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to his legacy as a teacher and to help continue his commitment to education.
“During his life, Zachary had a tremendous effect on his students, colleagues and community through his profound dedication to teaching, his tireless energy, and his unwavering upbeat spirit. This was a special year for our All-Star Teacher Award, and I would also like to recognize the other finalists for their invaluable contributions to their students and communities,” added Griggs.
“We would like to congratulate Zach Swan for his well deserved achievement of winning the prestigious 2010 All-Star Teacher title, said O’Connell. “Mr. Swan exemplifies the commitment, loyalty, and service of the thousands of dedicated and skilled teachers in California who make a difference in their schools and communities, and especially in the lives of their students.
“We would also like to celebrate the other finalists and all the award nominees and thank them for their tireless efforts to inspire their students every day,” added O’Connell.
“Education is key to the future of our children, our communities and our workforce,” said Curt Henninger, Comcast California’s regional senior vice president, Comcast California. “At Comcast, we are committed to investing in our children through scholarships, educational tools, and by honoring those individuals, like Zach Swan and the other finalists, who make a difference to improve our educational systems and ensure that students have the foundation necessary to succeed in school and beyond.”
The All-Star Teacher Award was created to recognize middle and high school teachers in northern California who go above and beyond to inspire their students and community.
A panel of community leaders selected five finalists based on four categories: overall commitment, excellence in teaching, rapport with students, and level of distinction.
The four All-Star Teacher runners-up will receive $2,000 for his/her school. They are Stefanie Erlwein of East Avenue Middle School in Livermore, Aaron Machado of Brownell Middle School in Gilroy, Salvatore Morabito of De Anza High School in Richmond, and Olivia Rangel of Alvarado Middle School in Union City.
Swan taught physical education for three years at Jefferson High School. He was an avid Bay Area sports fan and assisted Jefferson High’s football and basketball teams.
He was an exemplary model of personal strength and perseverance to his students and colleagues. On April 28, 2010, at the age of 28, he passed away from neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. His dedication and passion as an educator reached far beyond the gymnasium and will live on in the hearts and minds of those whom he touched.
Going well beyond simply teaching physical education, Swan’s ideas and wisdom helped students plot lifelong goals and educated them on how to become leaders in their communities. Despite his personal battles, he constantly placed his love for his students ahead of his own needs.
Even while being treated with chemotherapy, Swan would find the energy and will to work with and engage his students as if it was just another day. When he was physically unable to be present on campus, he would take the time to e-mail colleagues to follow up on his students’ progress and achievements in both academics and athletics.
Swan’s students valued him as a coach, a teacher and a friend. One student remarked that Swan treated his students like, “we were his brothers.” Swan devoted his life to the success and happiness of his students, and they truly admired him for this.
An underlying theme of Swan’s philosophy was to never give up, no matter how hard the road got. This was reinforced by his class mantra, “It doesn’t matter if you fail or succeed; what matters most is that you try.”
Swan left an undeniable legacy at Jefferson High School – to work harder, stay committed, and embrace life. Both staff and students of Jefferson High School remember him for his positive attitude, infectious smile, and passion for teaching.
He showed an infinite level of dedication to his students, his school, and his community by developing young minds whenever possible. Swan exemplified all the characteristics which are inherent in an individual who truly loves and embraces their life’s calling.
The panel of community leaders that selected the finalists consisted of Doug Bartlett, senior marketing director, BART; Lorena Hernandez, director of community and media partnerships, Comcast California; Detra Paige, director of community relations, Oakland Athletics; and Sue Petersen, executive director of the Giants Community Fund, San Francisco Giants.
Members of the public voted for the All-Star Teacher finalists from May 17 to July 9 by voting online at CSNBayArea.com
More about the award and presentation can be found at: www.csnbayarea.com/pages/landing?blockID=279184
About Comcast:
Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS. Comcast Sports Group also manages New England Cable News (NECN), the nation’s largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.
