John Pelster '87 Named Lasallian Educator of the Year for 2022

Concord, Calif. - At the De La Salle High School Saint La Salle Liturgy held on Wednesday, April 27, Vice President for Academic Life, Dr. Heather Alumbaugh announced that Mr. John Pelster '87 has been selected as the school’s 2022 Lasallian Educator of the Year. 

“Each year it is both a challenge and a blessing to choose the Lasallian Educator of the Year, especially among so many dedicated faculty,” Dr. Alumbaugh said. “ The commitment, respect, and love our faculty gives to our students is the same they show one another.”

The Lasallian Educator of the Year award honors an educator who is chosen by his or her peers to receive a very special award, and is given to a faculty member who exemplifies the qualities of Saint La Salle…specifically meeting the following criteria:

• A dedicated and committed individual who is an exemplary educator.
• An educator who understands his or her own dignity as a child of God so that he or she can pass this on to students.
• A person who cherishes and cares for his/or her students like an older brother or sister, and, above all, someone who is committed to a life of faith and expresses that in a commitment to teaching his or her students the importance of the spiritual life, inculcating living values.

“Multiple peers commented on John’s exceptional generosity as a peer, mentor, and guide,” said Dr. Alumbaugh. “As a matter of fact, in my six years here, I have never had so many faculty and staff members so uniformly refer to a colleague in their nominations as a ‘gifted mentor.’”

A number of fellow faculty and staff members noted the following about Mr. Pelster: 

• One peer said, “John is as good as it gets: thoughtful, fair, meticulous, and giving.” Another shared, “He is an example to the students of how to live one's life with integrity, compassion, kindness, and dedication.”
• Multiple colleagues noted that John is utterly deserving of “recognition” as he is both a “wealth of knowledge” and his “commitment to student learning is incredible.” Yet another peer echoed the same sentiment, “I can see how much he cares about each student who comes through his door, as students as well as growing human beings. He gives so much to his students and to his coworkers, and he deserves to be recognized for it.” A fellow department member also shared much of the same, “In my time at De La Salle, I have seen him with a deeply ingrained love of our school, its mission, and our boys. To be honest, I am amazed that he has not yet won the award.”

In his 30-years as a teacher at De La Salle, John Pelster has worn multiple hats, as department chair, accreditation chair, English teacher, and coach. Dr. Alumbaugh added, “I know that I have personally benefited from his thoughtfulness, kindness, and open heart and mind. John is a long-time Spartan and is deeply deserving of this award.” 

Previous recipients of this award from our current faculty include Mr. Terry Eidson, Mr. Bob Ladouceur, Mr. Bob Zorad, Mr. Roger Hassett, Mr. Scott Hirsch '82, Ms. Alex Stevenson, Mr. Steve Oelschlager, Mrs. Viki Acquistapace, Mr. Steve Guthrie, Ms. Lillian Dickson, Mr. Andrew Berkes, Mr. Joe Aliotti, Mrs. Janet Appel, Mrs. Mary Ann Mattos, Mr. Rick Graham '90, Mr. Michael Aquino, Mrs. Annemarie Talmadge, and Mr. Jim Olwell '76.