Deborah Newton has a passion for history that she shared with her students during her 38 years as a teacher for Riverside Unified School District. Although recently retired from the district, she has continued working with the district in the development of resources for teaching 3rd-grade local history and in training teachers in the implementation of those materials. Her work on the project has given her the opportunity to work with numerous local historians and organizations who have supported the development of the materials. While with the district, she was able to participate in Footsteps to Freedom, which encourages historical empathy. She was an instructor at UC Riverside extension courses for teachers in Gifted and Talented Education and the Multiple Intelligences, as well as in their Expanding Horizons program for youth for many years. Although Deborah has enjoyed researching history since childhood, her interest in Riverside history began when she found links to a family member who arrived in Riverside in 1878. She is a member of the Riverside Historical Society, Old Riverside Foundation, and the Museum of Riverside Program Advisory Team.