Julie Huffman, a teacher at Golden Valley High School, has been selected by the L.A. County Office of Education as one of 16 teachers to represent the county in the California Teacher of the Year competition later this year.

She was one of 75 teachers honored Friday at the county level. She was chosen from among 72,000 teachers countywide; a judging panel narrowed the field to 75 district-level teachers of the year.

A veteran teacher for almost 20 years, Huffman teaches chemistry and AP chemistry at Golden Valley and has coordinated a program for the school’s at-risk students, resulting in higher-than-predicted graduation rates among the at-risk students.

“I’ve always had a love and a passion for helping kids that struggle”, said Huffman. “It’s part of who I am, especially as a teacher. At the same time, I have always had an abiding passion for Science. Science is amazing and all kids, regardless of ability level, income level or demographic, can learn to love and appreciate Science, so to me the two go hand in hand.”

Since the program’s inception in 1983, 35 L.A. County teachers have moved on to be selected as California Teachers of the Year.

L.A. County last had a National Teacher of the Year, Rebecca Mieliwocki, in 2011.

There are six million school children in California, and with almost two million of those children in L.A. County, program plans and teacher achievements have a profound impact not just across the county, but around the state as well as the nation.

The annual event honoring teaching excellence uses no tax money, but is sponsored by several companies committed to honoring teachers for the critical tasks they provide in educating today’s youth.

Ed Sudario, regional manager for Lakeshore Learning, one of the sponsors for the event, has been involved for over a dozen years.

Besides helping with the luncheon costs, Lakeshore provides gift cards, books, student resources and digital tools to teachers for customized use in their classroom.

“We appreciate and value the relationship,” said Sudario. “Teachers are the unsung heroes of our culture, and they deserve a day to honor their achievements. We appreciate the chance to give back.”

Platinum Apple Sponsor California Credit Union, another long-time contributor, along with covering event costs, also provided each of the sixteen County finalists an honorarium of $1,000.

Walt Greene, Chairman of CCU, remarked that the Credit Union has donated over $340,000 over the years.

California Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in Southern California, with more than 85,000 members and nearly $1.3 billion in assets. California Credit Union specializes in serving the educational community.

The county winner will automatically advance to the California Teachers of the Year competition, and while five co-winners will be chosen, only one of these co-winners will be chosen to represent California in the National Teacher of the year competitions next spring.

• Chas Hoard