UPLAND, CA, October 20, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Brieanne Sapienza has been recognized for achievement in education.

Marked by her longstanding dedication to student instruction and empowerment both inside the classroom and beyond, Mrs. Sapienza is in her 15th year as an educator, with 13 of those years dedicated to Sierra Vista Middle School in the Covina Valley Unified School District in Los Angeles County, California. In her current role as a teacher, she prepares instructional materials and manages daily correspondence every morning, ensuring that each day begins smoothly for both her and her students. She teaches sixth-grade and eighth-grade science courses, delivering hands-on lessons and guiding her students through complex scientific concepts with a focus on engagement and relatability.

Additionally, Mrs. Sapienza leads a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) elective focused on the engineering design process, resilience and real-world problem solving. She emphasizes the importance of responding productively when things do not go as planned, encouraging her students to persevere and collaborate effectively. Also among Mrs. Sapienza's impactful creative projects is the "Build a Bridge" challenge she developed during her participation in Lego's Build the Change program through Take Action Global (TAG). During the 2024 to 2025 school year, she completed an eight-week course alongside other educators to develop a lesson plan for STEM students — after watching episodes from Season 1 of the popular television program "Lego Masters," they were to design their own bridges capable of holding five textbooks while learning about Isaac Newton's Law of Motion — that was ultimately published on lego.com and became widely used.

Mrs. Sapienza's commitment to mentorship is equally evident through her leadership of Sierra Vista Middle School's Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program. As WEB advisor, she works to create a campus where students feel connected, included and excited to come to school. A central part of her approach is encouraging students to step outside of their comfort zones, try something new and discover a place on campus where they feel they belong. She trains and mentors student WEB leaders who welcome incoming sixth graders during orientation and continue supporting schoolwide engagement throughout the year. Rather than simply planning activities for students, Mrs. Sapienza empowers her WEB leaders to take an active role in developing and leading events that bring students together.

Under Mrs. Sapienza's leadership, WEB has grown into an important part of Sierra Vista's campus culture. Throughout the year, WEB leaders help create opportunities for students to connect through monthly activities, sports tournaments, schoolwide events and other student-led initiatives. Mrs. Sapienza intentionally selects leaders who represent the diversity of Sierra Vista's student body, including honor students, students receiving special education services and members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Her philosophy is that leadership should not be limited to one type of student. By giving students with different strengths, backgrounds and experiences an opportunity to lead, she helps them build confidence while ensuring that younger students can see themselves represented in campus leadership.

At the heart of Mrs. Sapienza's work with WEB is a simple goal: help every student find a place where they belong. Whether that means encouraging a student to participate in an activity for the first time, connecting a sixth grader with an older student mentor or giving a student an opportunity to become a leader, she uses WEB to strengthen students' connection to their school. Her goal extends beyond increasing participation in individual events; it is to help build a school culture where students want to be involved, feel that they are part of something and ultimately want to come to school.

The impact of Mrs. Sapienza's work with WEB gained broader recognition in 2025, when her student leaders were honored in the Digital Challenges category at the World's Greatest Schools Conference. As their facilitator and nominator, Mrs. Sapienza helped students extend their leadership beyond the physical campus by promoting responsible and positive social media use among middle school students. The recognition, presented by I Can Help in partnership with the Associated Student Body (ASB) Renaissance Program, distinguished Sierra Vista as the only middle school among five institutions recognized from approximately 50 participating schools. The honor reflected the larger purpose behind her work with WEB: empowering students to use their voices, take positive risks and make their school community a place where everyone can belong.

Prior to joining Sierra Vista Middle School in 2013, Ms. Sapienza taught eighth-grade science at Real Journey Academies in San Bernardino for two years. She began her career at this charter school after completing her student teaching in Riverside and gaining experience as a long-term substitute teacher.

Hailing from an equally accomplished academic background of her own, Mrs. Sapienza earned a Master of Education from Chapman University in 2015, which provided her with advanced training in curriculum development and instructional strategies that she continues to apply in her daily classroom practice. Her higher education began at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2011. She subsequently obtained her teaching credential from University of California, Riverside before beginning her teaching career at Real Journey Academies.

Alongside her primary roles, Mrs. Sapienza has pursued ongoing professional development opportunities to enhance her teaching practice. She is a member of the National Education Association, reflecting her commitment to staying informed about best practices within the field of education and advocating for educators' best interests across the United States.

Mrs. Sapienza's outstanding devotion to student education, creativity and inclusivity has seen her recognized with multiple accolades over the course of her career, including Employee of the Month honors from Covina-Valley Unified School District in 2025 and being named Teacher of the Year by Sierra Vista Middle School in 2017.

Mrs. Sapienza's passion for education can be traced back to her childhood when she announced after her first day of kindergarten that she wanted to become a teacher—a dream nurtured by her parents, who encouraged her to pursue what truly inspired her. Her grandmother often recalls that even as a young child, Mrs. Sapienza would turn playtime into a classroom, creating her own worksheets and teaching her grandmother lessons, including how to work with fractions. Trips to the school supply store were especially exciting, as she would eagerly choose workbooks and materials for her make-believe classroom. A formative experience occurred in kindergarten when a classmate who had not spoken throughout the school year quietly whispered to Mrs. Sapienza that she wanted blue during an activity involving colors. That small but powerful interaction stayed with her and reinforced an early belief that connecting with others, helping them find their voice, and making a difference in their lives was what she was meant to do.

Although she was initially certified for elementary education with intentions of teaching younger grades, Mrs. Sapienza accepted a middle school position due to limited openings at the elementary level and quickly discovered an affinity for working with adolescents navigating their pivotal developmental years. She takes great fulfillment in watching her students mature from tentative sixth graders into confident eighth graders who are still young enough to embrace fun while also developing their own imaginative ideas.

Expanding her approach beyond academics, Mrs. Sapienza strives to cultivate kindness, responsibility and digital literacy among her students while helping them rediscover genuine connection away from technology's constant presence. As an advisor for one of Sierra Vista's social media accounts through WEB, she teaches her students about online safety and lasting digital footprints by sharing real-world examples and encouraging thoughtful and open discussions.

As a balance to her professional responsibilities, Mrs. Sapienza enjoys following football — particularly as a dedicated Baltimore Ravens fan — participating in fantasy football leagues, reading science fiction and romance novels, and watching reality television shows such as "Survivor" or culinary programs featuring Gordon Ramsay. Football became an important part of her life during her high school years and later came to serve as a bridge for building relationships with many students who shared similar interests.

On a personal level, Mrs. Sapienza has been happily married since 2015 after meeting her husband just before her first teaching interview. He and his sister also serve as teachers, making education a central aspect of their family life. Together, she and her husband are the proud parents of one child and make sure to prioritize family time together outside of their work hours.

Looking toward the future, Mrs. Sapienza hopes to continue inspiring students to think like scientists while fostering their independent thoughtfulness rather than reliance on technology alone. She consistently aims to encourage kindness among her peers and to help children rediscover joy and imagination through play and authentic connection beyond screens or devices — goals that are rooted deeply in both her personal conviction and the professional experience she has gained throughout her distinguished career in education.

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