VBJ November 18

November 2018
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com
19
Boulder Ridge Elementary School Teacher Erin Lipsitz Receives
September ‘Teachers Are Heroes Award’
Teaching offers many challenges but offers rewards that go far beyond
the benefits provided by a day-to-day job. KATY- 101.3 The Mix (KATY)
and Azusa Pacific University (APU) is excited to kick-off the Teachers
are Heroes program for the 2018-2019 school year.
On Wednesday, October 3,
2018, Mrs. Erin Lipsitz, fourth
grade teacher at Boulder Ridge
Elementary School, was surprised
with the first Teachers
are Heroes award for this year.
Mrs. Lipsitz was nominated
by Tiffany Lallande-Banks, the
mother of one of Lipsitz’s students
who said, “Mrs. Lipsitz
assisted in the development of
the girl’s STEAM Club, and
also runs an after-school Math
program. She inspires kids to
learn outside the box.”
Boulder Ridge Elementary
School Principal Jon Mitchem,
provided additional comments
saying, “Erin Lipsitz is a game
changer. Mrs. Lipsitz has the
uncanny ability to know what students
need before they know what they need.
She makes learning fun, engaging, and
connects the material to the student’s
own lives. More importantly, Mrs.
Lipsitz models the beliefs that learning
is important and is a lifelong endeavor.
She has attended multiple professional
development seminars over this past
summer and has utilized those strategies
in her classroom with great results. Erin
is a kind, caring, and thoughtful teacher
who comes to work each day with
the mindset that ALL of her students
can achieve greatness and learn at a
higher level. Mrs. Lipsitz knows that
not all learning has to take place in the
classroom and has not only opened her
classroom up to after school tutoring
but has assisted in the start of our very
first Boulder Ridge Dance Company!
Mrs. Lipsitz is an asset to Boulder and
we are grateful that she is Bulldog! “
Lipsitz was awarded with a
Teachers are Heroes certificate, a
$100 Visa gift card provided by
Thinkwise Credit Union, and other
prizes from the Mix prize closet plus
the entire class enjoyed a pizza party
from the Pizza Factory in Temecula.
All selected teachers and their classes
will receive tickets to attend an end of
the year celebration.
The Teachers are Heroes program
will run through April 2019. Teachers
can be nominated by students,
parents, and even other school administrators.
For more information go
to www.1013themix.com, keyword:
Teachers or go to http://www.apu.edu/
murrieta/teachers
EXECUTIVE PROFILE |Brian Connors
Brian Connors has lived in Murrieta for 28
years. As a kid in the 70’s, he and his family
would drive the old 395 from Escondido to
visit Vail Lake and enjoy the water slides.
Ownership of a new home for my wife (Marleen)
and I became a dream of ours in 1990. We had been
married for four years and wanted to start a family.
We thought that this valley provided the right atmosphere
and affordable housing for which we desired.
We thought we would buy a small home, then turn
around and sell it and then move back down to the
North County area. Little did we realize that our
hearts would be firmly planted here just after the first
year. We never looked back.
AFFILIATIONS
I serve on the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors as Chairman representing
Southwest Healthcare System which operates
Rancho Springs and Inland Valley Medical Centers.
Previously to this position, I served on the Board of
Directors for the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce.
BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
I remember long ago my dad had on his desk a
plaque that said, “There’s no such word as CAN’T.”
I believe in hard work and giving it all you’ve got
with a positive attitude by serving others and never
expecting anything in return. When I’ve done this,
I’ve discovered great things can happen.
FAVORITE SPORT
It would have to be a toss-up between baseball
and football. I love following the San Diego
Padres and Chargers. On an individual basis,
I love to golf and I play racquetball nearly
every weekday and I love to snow ski. My
Favorite ski destination is Kirkwood, CA near
Lake Tahoe.
GOALS
To live my life to the fullest with a positive
attitude while serving others each and every
day. When I focus on daily personal development
and living with daily discipline, my
personal and professional goals always seem
to fall in place.
MENTORS
After graduating from SDSU, my dad took me
under his wing. He offered me a chance in his
ad agency but had me earn my keep by working my
way up the ladder. His passion for his faith, family
and his career helped make me who I am today.
FAVORITE READING
I enjoy faith-based, historical and empowering books.
My favorite authors are Jeffrey R. Holland, D. Todd
Christofferson, and David McCullough. Hal Elrod’s
“Miracle Morning” is an excellent source for empowerment.
Brian Connors
RESUME
For more than 20 years I ran full service advertising
agencies which serviced local and regional
clients throughout the United States. I now
serve as the Director of Marketing for Southwest
Healthcare System which operates Rancho
Springs and Inland Valley Medical Centers.
BIRTHPLACE
La Jolla, CA