2026 Garfield Award Winner: Angel Gonzalez of the South San Francisco Unified School District
May 8, 2026
SMCSBA will provide the 2026 Garfield Award to Mr. Angel Gonzalez of the South San Francisco Unified School District at its annual meeting and Kent and Garfield Awards ceremony tonight, May 8, 2026.
Mr. Angel Gonzalez, known affectionately across Westborough Middle School as “Mr. G,” has served as a school psychologist in the South San Francisco Unified School District since 2021. In that time, he has become what his principal describes as an essential pillar of support for their community. Mr. Gonzalez works with the school’s students who have some of the greatest needs, and when the most complex behavioral and emotional situations arise, he steps forward, not back. His approach is thoughtful, data-informed, and deeply humane. He doesn’t simply respond to crises; he proactively builds students’ resilience so those crises become less frequent and less intense.
Bilingual and bicultural, Mr. Gonzalez conducts meetings fluently in both Spanish and English — building trust with families who might otherwise feel uncertain about navigating school systems. In more than one case this year, he was the person who finally succeeded in partnering with a family after years of prior attempts.
Beyond his individual work with students, Mr. Gonzalez leads staff training, coaches teachers, and was instrumental in designing Westborough’s own Kent Award-winning Culture Keepers program.
He does this work not for recognition — but because he believes deeply in the promise of every child.
Mr. Gonzalez’s dedication to student mental health and well-being exemplifies the spirit of Emily Garfield’s pioneering work.
SMCSBA will also present 19 school district programs with Kent Awards this evening.