Cristina and Antonio “Tony” Contreras were presented with the San Marcos Inspiration, Leadership and Excellence (SMILE) Award by the San Marcos City Council at the Sept. 13 City Council meeting.
The two were nominated by Councilmember Maria Nuñez for their excellence in teaching and mentoring thousands of youth in San Marcos. Throughout their teaching careers, they inspired generations of students by integrating their Latino heritage into classroom lessons, connecting with bilingual students and creating new programs for students. Their extraordinary dedication in and out of the classroom molded generations of students, teaching them to be courageous, compassionate, authentic, healthy and resilient.
Throughout Tony’s 30-year career, he served as the “Voice of the Knights,” and is known for his years of announcing at San Marcos High School football games. He also created and served as San Marcos High School’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) advisor for many years before retiring. The MEChA program is a Mexican American student organization that promotes higher education, community engagement, political participation, culture and history.
During Cristina’s nearly 30-year teaching career, she taught at San Marcos Elementary, Discovery Elementary and Twin Oaks Elementary. From 1990 to 1995, she led folkloric dance lessons for students in an after-school program. In addition to teaching in the classroom, she served as a mentor to college students preparing to enter the teaching profession.
“Many, like me, who made San Marcos our home and have grown up in the city, have directly benefitted from the Contreras family’s courageous ability to instill a sense of cultural pride,” Nuñez said. “Thank you to Cristina and Tony Contreras for creating a safe and welcoming educational environment for students. Their guidance transformed the lives of countless students of color, especially Mexican and Chicano students and their families, who embraced their cultural identity and influenced individual and community enrichment and empowerment.”
About the San Marcos City Council’s Civic SMILE Award
There are often community members who rise to the top – clearly reflecting this San Marcos ‘Spirit of Service.’ That’s why San Marcos City Council members initiated the Civic SMILE Award recognition program in March 2021.
Five times each year, a community member is chosen by a specific City Council member to receive recognition and will be presented with a San Marcos Inspiration, Leadership and Excellence (SMILE) Award during a City Council meeting.
For more information about the recognition program: San Marcos Civic SMILE Award.
