Meet The Sacramento Bee’s Honor Roll winner: ‘We all work together for a common goal’

Joseph Wong, a lifelong Sacramento resident, now gives back to the community he grew up in through education.

“It’s nice to be in the same area that I’m familiar with” said Wong, a Washington Elementary School kindergarten teacher and the winner of The Sacramento Bee’s first-ever Honor Roll.

An educator for 22 years, Wong always wanted to work with kids to “make a difference in their lives,” he said. His passion for teaching doesn’t go unnoticed within the community. He took home more than half of the 4,827 votes in the final round.

The finalists in the three-round bracket included Kim Zeltvay (second place, principal at Gold River Discovery Center), Mitch Weathers (third place, teacher at Visions in Education Charter School) and Neng Her (fourth place, principal at Edward Kemble Elementary School).

‘One of the best teachers’

Magdalena Angel, a parent of a student at Washington Elementary, nominated Wong for Honor Roll, stating: “One of the best teachers. Mr. Wong goes out of his way to make each kid feel important. He’s patient and makes learning fun!”

Wong said he was not expecting to be nominated.

“I was very surprised,” he said.

He said he was also happy to see his principal Gema Godina nominated, as well as a variety of candidates including athletic directors, janitors, program managers and front office staff from across the Sacramento region.

“We all work together for a common goal,” Wong said. “It was nice to see a diverse and different group of educators who are in the education system be nominated.”

‘Not just a student’

Wong has worked with children of all ages, but he says he prefers teaching kindergarten students.

“I just kind of had this love working with younger students who I can teach and mold into good learners and have the skills and the capacity to be not just a student, but but a citizen that can make a difference,” Wong said.

Working with kindergarten students, Wong also gets to work with first-time parents who are navigating the educational system. There are also English-learner parents who he says “have a lot of questions” but don’t know who to ask.

“I’m more than happy to answer and guide them through the educational process,” Wong said.

Education for Wong doesn’t just mean learning about academics, but social emotional learning, which is a big piece of Washington Elementary culture.

Wong currently teaches 16 kindergartners. They will be going on summer break on June 15.

This story was originally published May 25, 2023 at 5:00 AM.