Meet Wicomico County's 2023 Teacher of the Year, West Salisbury Elementary's Tara Martens
West Salisbury Elementary math intervention teacher Tara Martens was named the 2023-2024 Wicomico Teacher of the Year on Wednesday night in an announcement at the Teacher of the Year Spring Celebration held at Venue 54 in Delmar.
Martens has taught in Wicomico County Public Schools since 2012, and has been a math intervention teacher at West Salisbury Elementary since the 2018-2019 school year.
She writes songs connecting music with math for the students she serves in math intervention. She also co-chairs West Salisbury’s Instructional Leadership Team and Family Engagement Committee. Martens also initiated a Title 1 Summer Tutoring Program for grades 1 and 2, worked for Home Hospital and served as a tutor at HALO.
“When I first began my career, I was eager to dive into content as soon as the bell rang each morning. However, that wasn’t what was best for my students," Martens wrote in one of her Teacher of the Year scored writing prompts. "I needed to find a way to bring my classroom together as a family unit that supports and cares for one another.
“I created a new morning routine, where my students entered a calm and welcoming environment with instrumental music playing as they received their breakfast. Once finished, they came to the front of my room and sat in a circle on the rug. Our circle reinforced that we were one unit, one family.
"Morning meetings allowed my students to talk about their previous night, their morning, and how they were feeling by using a color system which helped me gauge who I needed to check in with.
“As I look back now, these morning meetings were truly the most important and magical part of each day. All students knew they belonged in our family and community of learners. Every day I held that meeting, my students learned valuable life skills that were in addition to the curriculum."
Martens earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Salisbury University in 2011, and a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2017. She joined Wicomico County Public Schools in January 2012 as a second grade teacher at Beaver Run Elementary, where she taught until the end of the 2015-2016 school year. She was an intervention teacher at North Salisbury Elementary for two years, then began serving as a math intervention teacher at West Salisbury Elementary.
She is a past recipient of the Baxter Enterprises McEducator Award for West Salisbury Elementary, and a member of the Wicomico County Education Association, the Maryland State Education Association, the National Education Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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“We are delighted to have Tara Martens of West Salisbury Elementary represent all of Wicomico’s 1,400 teachers as the 2023-2024 Wicomico Teacher of the Year. She will represent Wicomico County Public Schools and its teachers very well in the Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program,” Superintendent of Schools Micah Stauffer said.
The Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program includes Maryland State Board of Education recognition in May and the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in October, as well as a host of activities throughout the next year.
Wicomico is proud to have three former Maryland Teachers of the Year working in the school system on behalf of students: Bonnie Walston, Aaron Deal and April Todd. The past three Wicomico Teachers of the Year, Rebecca Mathews (2022-2023), Dustin Thomas (2021-2022) and Hemalatha Bhaskaran (2020-2021), were state finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
Top teachers recognized
Over the past few months, the 25 teachers who are 2023 semifinalists interviewed with a blue-ribbon judging panel, participated in a public speaking challenge called the Fishbowl and completed a writing packet. Scores from all three activities were compiled to determine the four top-scoring teachers, who were announced April 12 as the finalists.
Finalists for Wicomico Teacher of the Year
Beaver Run Elementary: Dr. Nan Richerson, musicEast Salisbury Elementary: Kirsten Biddle, third gradeJames M. Bennett High: Victoria Olinde, mathWest Salisbury Elementary: Tara Martens, math intervention
2023 semifinalists for Teacher of the Year
Bennett Middle: Deanna Marshall, English language artsCharles H. Chipman Elementary: Bethany Simon, kindergartenDelmar Elementary: Jenna Purnell, fourth gradeFruitland Intermediate: Danielle Pulliam, fifth gradeFruitland Primary: Kellie Martino, prekindergarten 3
Glen Avenue Elementary: Tuishula “Tish” Wise, third gradeMardela Middle & High: Don Abbatiello, social studiesNorth Salisbury Elementary: Kelli Lewis, fourth grade magnetNorthwestern Elementary: Melissa Hileman, fifth gradeParkside High: Sherri Harkins, french
Pemberton Elementary: Brenda Rhoads, fifth gradePinehurst Elementary: Andromeda Massey, prekindergartenPittsville Elementary & Middle: Ken Dasher, bandPrince Street Elementary: Emily Dale, first gradeSalisbury Middle: Heidi Hershey, math
Westside Intermediate: Kara Watson, second gradeWestside Primary: Debbie Wessels, first gradeWicomico High: James “Matt” McMurdo, special educationWicomico Middle: Michele Lilly, math interventionWillards Elementary: Kelli Scholl, physical educationSpecial Programs: Dana Hetzler, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), English Language Support Center
Rising Star Award
In connection with the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program, the McCain Foundation recognized Lauren Bass of Prince Street Elementary as the winner of the 2023 Rising Star Award for outstanding second-year teachers. In addition to the winner, the finalists for this award were Chance Hogue (Choices Academy) and Julie Webster (Mardela Middle & High).
Friend of Education Award
Also announced on Wednesday evening was the 2023 recipient of the Friend of Education Award, Martin Hutchison. For his service to the students and staff of Pinehurst Elementary and Choices Academy, and to all schools through his leadership in the creation of the Adopt-A-School Program, he was honored with this award.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Meet Wicomico County's 2023 Teacher of the Year
