2022 Excellence in Education
Education Professional
Donna E. St. George, J.D.
Donna E. St. George, J.D., is the recipient of the 2022 Education Medal of Honor, Excellence in Education/Education Professional for her passion, dedication and commitment to students.
Dr. St. George, affectionately referred to as “DSG,” has served as an educator in San Bernardino County for over 36 years in various capacities at the Yucaipa, Rialto and San Bernardino school districts. She served the majority of her career as a teacher at Redlands High School, where she recently retired.
Part of Dr. St. George’s legacy can be found in Redlands High School’s award-winning Mock Trial program, which brought home the most county championship titles in the history of the county competition. Dr. St. George
also provided mentorship as a coach for Academic Decathlon, and judges recognized her impact on students’ lives. She is known among her colleagues as not just a teacher, but a one-of-a-kind, life-changing mentor who has impacted the lives of countless students.
Redlands Unified School District Superintendent Mauricio Arellano nominated Dr. St. George for the award.
“Throughout her career, DSG has received several awards and recognitions at the district, county and state level. However, in no way has a title ever captured DSG’s influence on her students, her peers, the community of the world of education during the past three decades for her career,” said Arellano.
Dr. St. George said, “I’ve never been blessed to have kids of my own. I treated my students as my kids. So I’m in touch with a lot of them going all the way back to the early 90’s, and that’s very gratifying.”
Student Alumni
Phyllis Morris-Green, J.D.
Phyllis Morris-Green, J.D. is the recipient of the 2022 Education Medal of Honor, Excellence in Education/Student Alumni for her dedication in creating more inclusive and equitable learning opportunities for students.
Dr. Morris-Green is an alumna of the Adelanto Elementary School District and Victor Valley Union High School District in the High Desert. As a graduate of U.C. Davis School of Law, Morris-Green began her career in San Bernardino County in 1984 and became the first African-American public defender in the county.
Dr. Morris-Green believes her law degree should not be limited to the courtroom, instead, used to serve as a community defender. Since the 1980’s she has worked to build a bridge for youth to understand their voices are important. She continues to encourage youth to get involved in civic engagement and teach them how to pursue positive changes politically, economically and socially by visiting classrooms.
Dr. Morris-Green retired in 2018 and said over her 34-year law career she was compelled to action after seeing how many of her clients were illiterate and high school dropouts.
“Their minds were brilliant, but I saw how the lack of education affected the choices they made in their lives. I began to truly understand the value of education,” she said. “Growing up, people invested in me, and I saw it was my opportunity now to invest in youth.”
As the chairperson for Reimagining Our Communities, Dr. Morris-Green educates youth and young adults on various vehicles available for effectively moving advocacy from protest to legislation. She helped create a law and justice academy and is a member of San Bernardino County’s Element Group Pursuing Equity.
Jenny Owen
Director, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations
For additional information, please call 909.386.2413.
601 North E Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0020