New Jersey biology teacher Brenna Baker has been named the 2023 Atlantic County Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: New Jersey State Department of Education

I am always excited when I discover another educator who has been honored for their outstanding work in the classroom. One of these is Brenna Baker, a high school science teacher from New Jersey who has been named the 2023 Atlantic County Teacher of the Year.

Brenna earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and Education from Richard Stockton University located in Galloway Township, New Jersey. She earned both her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and her supervisor certification from The College of New Jersey located in Ewing Township, New Jersey. Currently, the honored educator is working on her doctoral thesis at the University of New England, a private university located in Biddeford, Maine.

Brenna teaches biology courses at Absegami High School in Greater Egg Harbor. In addition, she has coached academic and extracurricular sports teams, advised clubs, directed backstage, and participated on countless educational committees. As if all that were not enough, she has also led professional learning communities on assessment and Next Generation Science Standards, written over $40,000 in grants, and is a founding member of her school’s Green Team. Brenna has worked in the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District for the past 19 years. Furthermore, she has taught courses as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Stockton University, for the past eight years.

In addition to her recognition as 2023 Atlantic County Teacher of the Year, Brenna has  garnered a Clean Teen Glitter Award, she is a Recipient of the March Teacher of the Month Award WXPN in 2009, and she garnered the Atlantic County Utilities Authority Clean Communities Litter Award in 2019. That same year she also won a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey Grant to expand her school’s urban farming program.