Virginia “Tess” Hinchman has named a recipient of the 2024 Big Apple Award by the New York City Department of Education. Photo Credit: Williamsburg Prep High School
The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) does a fine job of recognizing their most outstanding teachers. This year, they have honored nearly 50 classroom educators who work in public schools within New York. One of these is Virginia “Tess” Hinchman, a Special Education and Language Arts teacher from Brooklyn. She has been named a recipient of their 2024 Big Apple Award.
Tess works at Williamsburg Preparatory School, a public high school located in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked at the school for three years. In her classroom, Tess develops curriculum that empowers her students to be in charge of their own learning. Her lessons emphasize learning through multiple modalities such as writing, discussion, and critique. She also develops engaging opportunities for students to make connections to real-world concepts.
Prior to her work at Williamsburg Prep, Tess taught in Madrid, Spain, where she traveled on a Fulbright Scholarship. There she d
This is not the only work that Tess has done with international students. She also worked as an ESOL Instructor and career mentor at the Irish International Immigrant Center in New York. And she also spent five months as a teaching assistant and volunteer at Foundation Minga Valpo at Valparaíso Province in Chile.
Tess graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Latin American Regional Studies from Tufts University, Massachusetts, in 2019. She earned her Master’s degree in Adolescent Education with a focus in Special Education and Teaching from Hunter College in 2023.
Congratulations, Tess!
