Edison's Mike Walters, Coast's Carly Ginter earn district Teacher of the Year honors

Los Angeles Times

14-02-2025

Mike Walters and his wife, Nicole, are both teachers, albeit at different grade levels and in different school districts.
Walters has taught at Edison High School in his hometown of Huntington Beach for nearly two decades. He watched as Nicole, an elementary school teacher, was named Teacher of the Year in the Los Alamitos Unified School District in 2019.
'My kids have been giving me a hard time ever since,' Mike Walters said. 'Now, the kids are off my case.'
Two members of the household can now say they are their district's Teacher of the Year. Walters is one of two 2026 Teachers of the Year in the Huntington Beach Union High School District.
He and the district's other Teacher of the Year, Carly Ginter of Coast High School, were each surprised with on-campus celebrations on Feb. 4.
Walters teaches social studies for the Chargers through a number of different courses, most consistently advanced placement U.S. history and government.
He was also a longtime assistant football coach at Edison and recently helped launch and coach the Chargers' girls' flag football team.
Nicole and their two sons, Mikey and Dylan, were part of the surprise on campus that also included Huntington Beach Union High School District Supt. Carolee Ogata and other officials.
Mike Walters, who went to school in the district as a 1995 Marina High School graduate, said the collaborative spirit is so prevalent at Edison and district-wide that he thinks many of his colleagues are also deserving of the honor.
Asked for his teaching approach, he highlighted project-based learning and the emergence of artificial intelligence as beneficial.
'You can ask AI to be Abraham Lincoln, then bring him to modern times and have him write a journal entry about what their week in 2025 was like,' he said. 'Things like that. We're using it along those lines, more creatively. When Google first came out 25 years ago, a lot of teachers thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to kill education.' It's just become a tool, and I think AI can be the same.'
What do the Walters sons think of their father's honor?
'I guess that's been probably one of the biggest benefits of being honored this way,' Mike Walters said. 'Now I can walk into the house and not have to look at the floor.'
Coast High School teacher Carly Ginter has also been on her campus for quite a while, 15 years.
She is Coast's English department coordinator, technology resource teacher and the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges co-chair, among other responsibilities at the alternative school.
Her daughters joined her for the on-campus celebration, walking in holding the two sides of the Teacher of the Year banner. Soon, the tears were flowing from her eyes.
Her husband wanted to be there, but he was on duty as a firefighter.
'It was quite a moment,' she said. 'It was an incredible honor to be recognized for something I truly love to do. I really appreciate the wise and compassionate leadership that I have, both at my school and at the district level too … alternative ed is where my heart is.'
Ginter said she has especially felt called to teach teenagers.
'High school is like a launching pad into adulthood, and I believe in meeting students where they're at,' she said. 'When roadblocks appear, we have the ability to find new pathways around them. I just want them to know there's always a way forward, and that seems to leave them with a sense of hope.'
That mission definitely is accomplished, Coast High Principal Angela Harding said.
'On a daily basis, Carly helps to bring to life our superintendent's vision, which is that every student matters,' Harding said. 'She lives that every day. At Coast, we believe that part of the magic of teaching and learning is all about connection, and Carly has that super-power, that ability to connect with literally anyone. She's like a guiding light.
'I think a great teacher makes you believe that it's actually possible for you personally, and that's what Carly does for our students.'