2021 Teacher of the Year Program

Delaware Department of Education Susan S. Bunting, Ed.D. Secretary of Education Dear Friends: The Delaware Teacher of the Year Program, administered by the Delaware Department of Education, honors Delaware teachers who exemplify fine teaching in the state. Delaware’s citizens have reason to be exceedingly proud of and grateful for the dedication and high quality professional performance of our classroom teachers. The Delaware Teacher of the Year Program proposes to select one teacher who is worthy of representing the positive contributions of all teachers statewide. He or she automatically becomes the state’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Program. The National Teacher of the Year Program is the oldest and most prestigious awards program that annually focuses public attention on excellence in teaching. Sponsored by VOYA Financial, the National Teacher of the Year Program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers. We wish to thank VOYA Financial for its generous donation that made tonight’s virtual celebration and district/charter watch parties possible. The Delaware Department of Education is honored to present Delaware’s 2021 Teachers of the Year. Please join us in congratulating each of them. Susan S. Bunting, Ed.D. Secretary of Education Brick Mill Elementary (Spanish) - Graduate coursework in school leadership - Bachelor of Science in Spanish and French education Years teaching: 19 KAREN SPECIALE Karenina Speciale is an educator with a history of sharing her love of language and culture with others. As a native of the Dominican Republic, she began learning a second language at 4, making her a lifelong advocate for world language instruction. After high school, Speciale enlisted in the U.S. Army where she held responsibilities ranging from managing military equipment to accounting for personnel. Speciale ended her service as a Reservist after she achieved the rank of a sergeant E-5. In addition to her dedicated military career, Ms. Speciale attended the University of Delaware, where her love of language acquisition and culture began. Speciale has taught Spanish and French to students from elementary through high school and merged her devotion to language and leadership when she worked in a bilingual school overseas. Speciale was prominent in leading cross-cultural bilingual workshops and streamlining the U.S. curriculum with the academic requirements of the host country. Since 2012, Speciale has worked for the Appoquinimink School District developing its elementary Spanish program. Speciale actively promotes language instruction within her community, supports international staff and seeks to grow the language acquisition programs that have shaped her life. Brandywine High School (physics and engineering) - Doctorate in educational leadership -Master of Education - Bachelor of Science in physics Years teaching: 24 JUDSON WAGNER Judson Wagner teaches multiple levels of physics as well as courses that make up the Design & Engineering Program of Study at Brandywine High School in Wilmington. With 24 years devoted to a non-selective comprehensive public school system that supports the integration of urban and suburban communities, Wagner is a staunch advocate for equitable access to rigorous coursework and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) literacy for all students. Wagner works with his students beyond the classroom through numerous clubs, student organizations, advocacy groups, and camps. He works with colleagues and educational leaders as an advocate for students as co-chair of the Delaware STEM Council, creator of the Delaware Physics Education Network, lead career and technical education teacher for the school district, facilitator for the gender equity teams for the district's six secondary schools, and coordinator of the Design & Engineering Program Advisory Committee. Outside of the state, Wagner has presented at national conferences on STEM and worked with organizations such as the College Board as an AP physics workshop consultant and reader for the AP physics exams. Most recently, he worked with the Education Testing Service on the Physics Praxis framework. Wagner earned National Board Certification (2003) and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (2007). Nellie Stokes Elementary (1st grade) - Master in literacy - Bachelor of Arts in education Years teaching: 15 BETH SCHMIDT Beth Schmidt is a highly qualified teacher who currently teaches first grade at Nellie Stokes Elementary in Camden. Being a teacher was Schmidt's childhood dream, following in her mother's footsteps. During the 15 years that Schmidt has been teaching, she has taught pre-k through third grade. If you enter her classroom you will see genuine smiles and relationships with her students that resemble a family. Schmidt has a way of connecting with her students, making them feel safe and secure so they are ready to take the leaps they need to be successful in their learning. She is an instrumental colleague, serving as the Lighthouse coordinator organizing a school-wide Leadership Day involving numerous staff and students and is training in educator self-care to assist with strategies such as mindfulness to use in classrooms. Schmidt feels strongly about teaching the whole child to help students function both inside and outside of school. She is very involved in her community, assisting with school events such as Girls on the Run, a small town fall festival and most recently a “care-a-van” to reach out to Stokes students during the Coronavirus pandemic. Annually, Schmidt honors a graduating senior who is pursuing a degree in education with a scholarship. One can say teaching is a profession, for Schmidt it is clearly a passion. Milton Elementary (1st grade Spanish immersion) - Doctorate coursework in higher education - Master of Arts in teaching - Bachelor of Arts in humanities -Associate degree in teaching Years teaching: 15 JORGE MORENO JAEN Jorge Moreno Jaen teaches first grade Spanish immersion at Milton Elementary. He connects with his students while implementing a variety of language teaching techniques and sharing cultural traits in Spanish only. Moreno started his life with a family of educators in Panama. His first teaching experience took place in Anton Valley, where students' parents showed their appreciation by sharing their daily harvest with him due to his contributions to this rural area. Later, he completed a graduate degree in TESOL and taught EFL in public and private institutions simultaneously. A finalist of the Fulbright Scholarship in 2006, Moreno partook on a life-changing professional experience teaching at-risk youth with special needs in Baltimore. He worked for turnaround inner city schools for eight years. Along the way, he received recognitions such as Star Teacher in 2011-12 and a Race to the Top Grant award in 2013-2014. In search for a "slower" pace of life, Moreno moved to Delaware in 2016 and launched the Spanish immersion program in Milford. Two years later he moved to Milton, where he takes pride at contributing to his own community. Booker T. Washington Elementary (4th grade) - Master of Instruction -Bachelor of Arts in elementary education Years teaching: 12 JULIE EABY Julie Eaby is a conscientious, versatile, and student-oriented educator with a passion for meeting the needs of the whole child. She currently teaches 4th grade at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Dover. At college, Eaby learned effective teachers are the most important factor in student achievement. She became consumed with learning the skills to be an effective teacher. However, her experience has taught her that those skills are rarely effective without a positive and caring attitude, strong relationships with students and families, enthusiasm, and dedication. Each day Eaby marries these behaviors with the skills she has learned, to be the most effective teacher she can be. Eaby believes her greatest contribution in education is serving as a positive teacher role model, who desires to constantly learn and perseveres through obstacles while maintaining a positive attitude. She understands the importance of a positive attitude and desires to instill a growth mindset in her students. Eaby's extensive involvement with the Leader in Me program at William Henry Middle School is evidence of this goal. At WHMS she was instrumental in the program's implementation by garnering staff support, grant writing, and co-leading during implementation. Throughout her tenure with Capital School District, Eaby has become not just a role model but an integral member of the community. Odyssey Charter (high school social studies) - Master of Education in curriculum and instruction (social studies) - Master of Arts in history - Bachelor of Arts in history Years teaching: 14 MELISSA TRACY Melissa Tracy is a National Board Certified high school social studies teacher at Odyssey Charter School, a dual-language Greek school in Wilmington. Tracy previously taught 6th-12th grade social studies at Conrad Schools of Science for a decade. Tracy currently teaches Advanced Placement human geography, African-American history and culture, United States history, and food studies at Odyssey and serves as the high school social studies department chair. Tracy is also a teacher adviser for Model United Nations, Youth in Government, and the Rho Kappa National Honors Society. She is the KN-12th grade garden coordinator and leader of the Odyssey Green Team. Under her leadership, Odyssey

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