During the Central Coast Entertainment Expo in early November, Righetti High School film instructor Jacob Gustafson (pictured, center) received the Excellence in Film Education award, according to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. Teachers at high schools in Nipomo, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and other cities were also in the running for the award.
“I am honored to receive this award, especially after seeing the strong work produced by the other programs in the competition,” Gustafson, who started teaching at Righetti four years ago, said in a statement. “The administration has always been very supportive of my program since day one and continues today. I am also blessed to have the most enthusiastic, engaged, motivated, and fun students a teacher could ask for.
“I truly believe I have the best students at Righetti High School, and that makes my job a whole lot of fun,” Gustafson added. “Without my great students, there is no excellence in film education. I’m surrounded by amazing teachers, administrators, and students. Greatness is everywhere.”
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2022.