For some teachers, there is a sort of anonymity outside of the classroom. Save for a few in the community, the students and their parents, teachers, by and large, are not well-known in the community where they teach; but for one Mira Mesa High School teacher, being recognized outside of the classroom normal.
Daniel Kriley, Mira Mesa High School theater teacher, is beloved by his students and known for his dedication to the program by the community.
“I’ve been at the school for 11 years,” he said. “Now, I’m being recognized as the theater teacher at the groceries store.”
His dedication to his students and his leadership in growing the theater program are the reasons why he was nominated for and won the Best Local Drama Teacher Award presented by the San Diego County Credit Union.
“The Best Local Drama Teacher Award provided the opportunity to recognize talented and hardworking teachers throughout San Diego County,” SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Halleck said in a statement. “The contest received a great response from the community and we are pleased to recognize Mr. Kriley for his enthusiasm and dedication to teaching San Diego’s youth.”
A total of 12 teachers were nominated and nearly 7,500 votes were submitted in the inaugural Best Local Drama Teacher Award contest, which ran online from May 14 – 31, 2014, according to SDCCU. Students, parents, family members and friends were asked to nominate and vote for a deserving drama/theater teacher who made a positive difference in their life, the life of a child or in the community.
Kriley was nominated by one of his students, Lauren Cernik-Price, a graduating senior at Mira Mesa High.
“Mr. Kriley has worked round the clock for Mira Mesa High School for over 10 years, creating a theatre program that is a force to be reckoned with,” she wrote in her nomination statement. “His high expectations, willingness to help students learn and encouragement ensure that his students will be prepared to move on to higher levels of performance.”
The theater program at Mira Mesa is the biggest in San Diego Unified School District — bigger than School of Creative and Performing Arts, the district’s performing arts magnet school, Kriley said.
“The community knows how the program has grown and I think the award reflects that,” Kriley said.
Principal Scott Giusti agreed with that sentiment and said that it is Kriley’s leadership and the community’s support that the program was able to grow and thrive.
“He works hard day in and day out to create a strong drama program here at Mira Mesa High School,” Giusti said. “It was great to see Mira Mesa High School and the Mira Mesa community come together to support such a deserving teacher.”
Part of the reason the Mira Mesa High School drama program has done so well is that Kriley runs it like a professional theater company. Students are placed in different departments, such as technical, set and costumes based on their interests and learn how to run that department.
“Part of my job is to prepare them for college, guiding them,” he said. “They learn leadership, how to step up and figure out how things are done.”
The students are then also able to apply the skills they’ve learned to the professional world. One such student is Craig Allen, an incoming senior.
“He’s a great teacher,” Allen said. “One kid run would each department and become an expert on it. You receive on-the-job experience and learn the skills you’d need for any jobs in the business world.”
Allen’s specialty is set construction and he has used his skills building sets at the Mira Mesa Monster Manor, a community haunted attraction his late father helped found.
But Kriley doesn’t just let his students pick their specialty, he also helps his students find theirs.
“The girl who nominated me, four years ago she didn’t think she has voice. Didn’t think she could sing,” he said. “Now she’s going to [San Diego] State as a voice major. I’ve always encouraged my students to go out and try things.”
Kriley started his teaching career in Texas, and then moved to Massachusetts before settling down in San Diego.
“Texas was too hot and Massachusetts was too cold,” he said. “San Diego is just right.”
As part of the award, Kriley also win an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to attend the 2014 Jimmy Awards, also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
