Sage Creek science teacher― James Fieberg― was chosen as one of 10 finalists in the San Diego County Teacher of the Year awards ceremony. The event is held once a year and has a total of 42 nominees. Fieberg was nominated for the award in April of 2017 and continued to progress until he made the top 10.

Fieberg has been an educator for over 20 years.

“Every step has been icing on the cake. It’s been a fun, fun journey and has been a once in a career experience,” Fieberg said while addressing his overall thoughts on his nomination.
There were a variety of reasons that teachers at Sage Creek nominated Fieberg for this title.

“I was nominated by the teachers of Sage for my leadership qualities in establishing Sage Creek High School and some of the things we do here on campus; some people wrote about the science department in my nominations, and others wrote about the relationship I have with students,” Fieberg said.

During his time at Sage Creek, Fieberg was able to meet and familiarize himself with the other educators. He has formed a unique bond with fellow science teacher Matt Keyes.

“My first impression of Fieberg still holds. He’s funny, energetic, and passionate about what he teaches,” Keyes said.

Fieberg prefers to interact with his students and build relationships with them instead of just standing in front of his class and lecturing.

“He is very much a doer instead of a lecturer and I think that that in terms of teachers in high school is kinda what makes [him] a model teacher” Keyes said.

Whether he’s in a classroom explaining the concepts of physics or scootering around Sage Creek, Fieberg is the teacher students can learn from and grow with.

“Mr. Fieberg has this personality that just fills a room and that’s what everyone loves and what everyone is drawn to,” Keyes concluded about his colleague.