Hall of Fame

2023 INDUCTEES

Dr. Farah Ortega-Choate is the Activities Director at LaQuinta Middle School in La Quinta, California and Champion of the Sierra Nevada Renaissance Region. Farah earned her associates from College of the Desert, her Bachelors and Master from California State University San Bernardino, and her Doctorate of Education from University of Southern California. She has been named a CADA Master Activities Director, Jostens Renaissance National Staffulty of the Month, La Quinta Middle School Teacher of the Year, and Motivational Speaker of the Year by Women Rising. Farah has been in education for 22 years, and became involved with Renaissance at the first school she taught at in 2001, and became an official Renaissance coordinator in 2013.

When you meet Farah, it’s obvious that she is a Renaissance educator. As her principal Kristen Wood told us, “ …Not only does [Farah] exemplify every inspirational and aspirational professional educational entity that we believe in, she is just an amazing human being that is kind, loving, and dedicated beyond all means.”

Marcus Wood, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, Desert Sands Unified School District went on to say “Farah works tirelessly to engage an entire student body as well as the teaching and support staff on every campus she works at. It is evident in every rally, rewards days, and other student recognition that Farah facilitated the event because of the quality and positive impact each of these has had.”

We asked what role Renaissance played in her life, and Farah said “When I was an English teacher, I thought I had the greatest job in the world, but then I became a leadership teacher and it took my teaching experience to a whole new level. I was able to teach my student leaders how to make a difference on their campus and in their community and world. My leadership students bonded like no other and became family and my classroom became their home. Renaissance was truly built on relationships and my classroom and school was evidence of this. In fact, our relationship was so strong, when my older son, John, passed away, my student leaders got a bus and attended his services. After three weeks off work, when I returned to school, with so much anxiety and grief, I slowly approached the gates and looked up to see none other than my leadership students lined up with a sign that said, ‘Welcome home!’ They saw me and showed up for me when I needed them most. This is the magic of Renaissance!”

Rita Pintavalle is the Principal of Brazoswood High School in Clute, TX and the Renaissance Champion of the Gulf Coast Renaissance Region. She received her B.S. Ed in English and Psychology from Baylor University,  and a Masters of Education from the University of North Texas. Rita was the Region XI Principal of the Year in 2014, and most recently name among the Top 50 Women Leaders in Houston. She has been a leader of Renaissance for 18 of her 32 years in education at two campuses – Brazoswood, and Kennedale High School.

Lisa Spain, a colleague of Rita’s, described Rita’s leadership style: “She models ‘servant leadership’ and then demonstrates and provides a plethora of opportunities for her students and staff to serve. When we are thinking of others we look beyond ourselves. Rita gets that and knows what an impact service can be to the social and emotional pulse of her staff and students.”

Carson Campbell, Rita’s daughter, former student, and now teacher at Brazoswood High School, wrote: “I hear students and staff talk about her all the time, whether it is being goofy as a clown at the carnival or being at games and events to support them, she is important in their lives because they know she cares. The campus culture is a reflection of her collaborative leadership and her ability to make everyone around her want to be better versions of themselves. Renaissance is a vehicle she uses to keep our spirits going strong, no matter what is occurring in the world around us. And as she always says ‘It’s a Great Year to be a Buccaneer.’”

We asked Rita how Renaissance has personally affected her, she said: “Being in a positive environment makes every day special, and the way we utilize Renaissance helps our campus stay focused on creating positive experiences. When you focus on positive, that will create the habit of positive, and that impacts everything you do. I seek out ways to assist others in finding that leader in themselves, and this creates more opportunities for more people to spread the positive energy. We deal with so much negativity in the world in general, that we can forget how to be positive, but Renaissance creates ways to be positive and that is much needed in our schools. When we are spending 14-hour days at school, it is nice to know that I can go home to my family with a happy attitude because I’ve had a great day, in a great place, with great people.”

Chris Reeder is the Activities Director at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, CA in the Sierra Nevada Renaissance Region. Chris has been involved with Renaissance for 13 of his 23 years in education.

Chris earned his Bachelors of Arts from Loyola Marymount University and a Masters of Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. He has been recognized twice as the San Gabriel Valley Coach of the Year, the 2020 Los Altos High School Teacher of the Year, and was inducted into the California Association of Renaissance Educators Hall of Fame in 2017. He is now a double Renaissance Hall of Famer!

As a long time educator and Renaissance advocate, it is not a surprise that so many students wrote to us speaking of their admiration for this incredible educator. Fiona Ngo and Jasmin Rodriguez, students at Los Altos, wrote: “He has the ability to influence students to make their visions a reality, and he goes out of his way to tell students beautiful characteristics they hold. He sacrifices his own time for his students to support their passions, and never fails to seek the good in any individual he encounters.”

His Jostens Representative, Brain Partridge, echoed that same sentiment: “…whenever a staff member or teacher comes across Chris on campus, they know that they matter to him. His programs simply reinforce to these individuals that they are also important to the entire school and Renaissance community.”

When asked what his favorite Renaissance moment has been, Chris told us that “About 10 years ago, our office manager donated a kidney to save her son’s life. She did so quietly and not many people knew about it. When we found out, we planned a huge recognition at our year-end rally celebration. We brought her up in front of the entire school, told the students what she did and gave her the recognition she deserved for such a selfless act. The students were amazing and really showed their genuine admiration for such a selfless act. She got emotional on stage and gave a touching speech to the crowd about what she had done.”

Previous Hall of Fame Inductees