SACRAMENTO — Saugus High School teacher Jim Klipfel, one of five California Teachers of the Year for 2021, has also been chosen to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition in the spring.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond made the announcement Wednesday in Sacramento.

Klipfel was named a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year in October.

These educators are ambassadors for the profession and serve as representatives of the state for the calendar year.

Thurmond, who began his career as a social worker, said he was thrilled to honor the five outstanding and talented teachers who go above and beyond to educate, inspire, and empower students, families, and communities.

“In a year that might be the most challenging in all of our lives, these five inspiring teachers have made profound differences in the lives of their students and communities,” Thurmond said. “I’m proud that these educators are receiving this prestigious honor for their continued effort to rise above the challenges and connect with students even during unimaginable circumstances.”

Presented by California Casualty and supported by the California Teachers of the Year Foundation, the California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to honor outstanding teachers and encourage and inspire new teachers to enter the profession.

The 2021 California Teachers of the Year are:

* Jim Klipfel, a ninth- through 12th-grade Social Studies and Athletics teacher at Saugus High School in the William S. Hart High Union School District, Los Angeles County.

Thurmond also nominated Klipfel as California’s representative for the National Teacher of the Year competition. Klipfel will compete against other state nominees, and the 2021 National Teacher of the Year will be announced in the spring.

* Allison Cyr, who is a third-grade, multiple-subject teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School in the Desert Sands Unified School District, Riverside County.

* Keisa Brown, who is a seventh- and eighth-grade Introduction to Spanish and AVID 8 teacher at University Heights Middle School in the Riverside Unified School District, Riverside County.

* Laura E. Gómez Contreras, who is a third-grade multiple-subject teacher at Martin Elementary School in the Santa Ana Unified School District, Orange County.

* Nora Wynne, who is a sixth- through eighth-grade Spanish teacher at McKinleyville Middle School in the McKinleyville Union School District, Humboldt County.