Delaware will choose its 2024 Teacher of the Year this month. Who's up for the honor?
Twenty educators have already been selected as Teacher of the Year for their school districts or Delaware's charter network. The Delaware Department of Education has recognized each of them as "vital" to student success, in a time when learning continues aims to bounce back from pandemic strain.
But this month, Secretary of Education Mark Holodick will declare one 2024 Delaware Teacher of the Year.
DDOE says each candidate had to:
Be an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled teacher
Inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn
Have the respect and admiration of students, parents and colleagues
Play an active and useful role in the community as well as in the school
Be poised, articulate and possess the energy to withstand a taxing schedule
After nominations, after detailed portfolio submissions, after classroom observations, after a panel of judges delivers its consideration — the final selection will follow a dinner and celebration at 6 p.m., Oct. 18, in Dover.
The public can tune in to a livestream on DDOE's YouTube channel, starting around 7:10, which should also be shared through the department's Facebook page that evening.
This teacher chosen will become Delaware's nominee in the national program, while also receiving a $5,000 grant for the educational benefit of their students and a personal grant of $3,000.
The 2024 District/Charter Teachers of the Year
Appoquinimink: Cory Hafer
Hafer teaches engineering and science at Middletown High. Originally from Michigan, the 11-year educator teaches three different levels of engineering in Middletown, including one capstone course, having previously taught several subjects in the sciences.
Brandywine: Nader N. Makarious
Makarious is an educator at Brandywine High School in Wilmington, where he teaches chemistry. The University of Delaware alumnus was honored in 2018 the American Chemistry Society Division of Chemical Education, honoring his teaching methods — including writing poems, building websites and designing T-shirts.
Caesar Rodney: Melissa Rapp
Rapp teaches social studies students at Caesar Rodney High School, in Camden. More specifically, the 20-year teacher leads students through AP World History and AP European History. She's the only teacher in her district's history to be honored as Teacher of the Year twice.
Cape Henlopen: Rachel Peacock
Cape Henlopen High School's Rachel Peacock teaches chemistry down in Sussex County. The honoree told the Cape Gazette in May her background in science combined with an awareness of social justice in education guide her classroom processes and core philosophy.
Capital: Alexandra Griffith
Griffith teaches both English language arts and social studies in William Henry Middle School, in Dover.
Charter Network: Stephanie Trainer
Trainer teaches social studies at The Charter School of Wilmington, where the University of Delaware alumna has worked for over 22 years.
Christina: Emily Szymanski
Szymanski is a preschool teacher in the Brennen School, a public school for students with autism within the Christina School District. Her school works with children between 2 and 21 years old.
Colonial: Michelle Reutter
Inside the John G. Leach School, Reutter teaches special education. Her New Castle school serves students ages 3 to 21 living with physical disabilities, moderate to severe cognitive disabilities or serious health impairments. She's been with Colonial the past seven years, working with older students on "Skills for Transition and Resilience."
Delmar: Lauren Webster
Webster teaches science to fifth-graders at Delmar Middle School, in Sussex County.
Indian River: Kasey Revel
Revel brings agri-science instruction to Sussex Central High School, near Georgetown. Once a math teacher, Revel has been an agriculture educator and mentor since 2020 — leading students to design and coordinate landscape scenery for events like prom, graduation, homecoming, the senior awards ceremony and the SCHS Hall of Fame induction.
Lake Forest: Stephen West
West teaches social studies in W.T. Chipman Middle School, in Harrington. The honored educator teaches sixth-graders.
Laurel: Matthew Wood
Wood also teaches in agri-science, down in Laurel High School. The doctoral student in career and technical education has worked in the Sussex County district for over four years, teaching plant sciences, animal sciences and an AP course in environmental science.
Milford: Victoria Hudson
Hudson teaches related arts in Benjamin Banneker Elementary in Milford.
New Castle County Vo-Tech: Tim Dorsey
Dorsey teaches science to students of Delcastle Technical High School, near Wilmington. A product of Delaware public schools himself, Dorsey has been teaching for 11 years. The educator told his district he's passionate about incorporating culturally relevant teaching into his classroom.
POLYTECH: Shannon Legg
Legg teaches automotive technology at POLYTECH High School in Kent County. The shop teacher takes students through anything from simple tools of the trade to more advanced.
Red Clay Consolidated: Angela Morrow
Morrow teaches fifth grade at Richey Elementary School in Newport. Morrow was honored by the recognition, as her district surprised her with the news in May.
Seaford: Karent Díaz Ríos
Díaz Ríos teaches teaches fourth grade dual language immersion at Seaford Central Elementary. The Colombia native started teaching math, science and Spanish in this program in 2020.
Smyrna: Laura Massey
Massey is a reading interventionalist in Clayton Elementary School. "CES is So proud of Laura Massey!" posted the elementary school anchored in Smyrna School District.
Sussex Tech: Anthony Varrato
Varrato teaches English language arts at Sussex Technical High School, in Georgetown. The University of Delaware grad was also honored for his work mentoring colleagues, assisting with parental concerns and more back in 2019.
Woodbridge: Stephanie Sharp
Sharp teaches multilingual learners within Woodbridge's Early Childhood Education Center. The "innovative" educator, as her district put it in May, has worked in the center for eight years with a "warm and inclusive classoom environment."
Got a story? Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity for Delaware Online and USA TODAY Network Northeast, with a focus on education. Contact her at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware to pick Teacher of the Year. Who's up for the honor?
