Visual arts teacher Angel Mejico from El Cerrito Middle School in Corona is one of five American teachers to have been included in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2020 in partnership with UNESCO. Now in its sixth year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind.

Mejico, a member of Corona-Norco Teachers Association and one of the 2019 California Teachers of the Year, along with teachers from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Dakota and New Jersey, is shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize 2020, selected from over 12,000 nominations and applications from over 140 countries around the world.

Mejico brought the arts alive to inspire countless students, turning her first classroom into an “Art Barn” and creating an Art Expo for her school, containing a huge 900-piece exhibition and performance space where students from all subjects express their distinctive personalities while developing their craft and technology skills. She is in the process of establishing a nonprofit organization called DO MORE to assist other causes with money, time, supplies, publicity, and whatever else is needed to help them succeed.

The top 50 shortlisted teachers are narrowed down to 10 finalist teachers by a Prize Committee, with that result announced in June 2020. The winner will then be chosen from these 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy. All 10 finalists will be invited to London for the Award ceremony at the Natural History Museum on Oct. 12, 2020, where the winner will be announced live on stage.

Further information about the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize and the top 50 shortlist is available at globalteacherprize.org.