Congratulations to English educator Lauren Merkley who has been named Utah’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations are due to English educator Lauren Merkley of Cottonwood High School in Murray, Utah. She’s been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Cornell University in 2005. She spent the next ten years working in the fundraising field. It was in 2015 that Lauren decided to go into the teaching profession. For the past five years, she has taught at Cottonwood High in the Granite School District in Murray, Utah. She currently teaches Language Arts to high school juniors.

Lauren says she was inspired to become an English teacher by her own high school English teacher, Mr. Wolfe. She recalled that Mr. Wolfe’s classroom was furnished with couches and lamps. “It felt like we’re in his living room having a discussion,” she described.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lauren serves on her school’s Equal Opportunity Schools team. The team works to identify students from under-represented groups to consider taking a more rigorous coursework, such as AP classes, concurrent enrollment, Career and Technical Education, or honors courses.

“I’m really interested in educational equity, so removing barriers to education through advanced classes, attendance policies, homework policies that are roadblocks for underrepresented populations, I’m very passionate about that,” expressed Lauren.

Lauren also serves as a member of Cottonwood’s leadership team. “This team looks at school data to help identify the positive things that are going on in the school, as well as coming up with solutions for problems,” described Cottonwood Principal Terri Roylance.

To read more about Lauren, follow this link to an article published by Deseret News.