Teacher of the Year for Mediterranean District, DoDEA Europe

David Glasgow Farragut Middle/High School, Rota, Spain

Maribel Bastidas teaches Spanish at David Glasgow Farragut Middle/High School in Rota, Spain.  With 25 yeas of teaching experience, Bastidas taught for Virginia Public Schools and for DoDEA schools in Italy and Spain.  Her Department of Defense career began 17 years ago when her husband was transferred overseas to Naples, Italy.

Bastidas graudated as a Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Virginia Wesleyan College and received a Masters of Humanities from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.  Bastidas was a recipient of the Sallie Mae Award for first year teachers in 1988 and was recognized as Virginia Beach Foreign Language Teacher of the Year in 1994.

Teaching students to respect and appreciate other cultures and to solve conflicts through communication are Bastidas' ultimate goals as an educator.  In addition, Maribel strives to promote a culture of collaboration and cooperation among teachers, parents, and community members.

Bastidas and her husband have two children who were educated in the Department of Defense Education Activity system.  She also enjoys travelling with family, meeting new people from other cultures, as well as dancing.