This video which shows Ellen Degeneres recognizing the stellar work of North Carolina first grade teacher Jordan Siragusa says it all. (January 18, 2018)

Melissa Romano named Montana’s 2018 State Teacher of the Year

Chalkboard champion Melissa Romano, a fourth grade teacher at Four Georgians Elementary School in Helena, Montana, was selected the 2018 Montana State Teacher of the Year by the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation.

Melissa inaugurated her teaching career in 2004 after working for ten years as a nanny. In a Montana Federation of Public Employees press release dated October 4, 2017, the honored educator remembers that watching a child’s face light up as they play and discover the joy of learning something new inspired her to become a teacher. She says she strives every day to create those experiences for her students in her classroom.

Melissa earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Since earning her degrees, she has worked as a teacher in the Helena Public School District in a career that has spanned more than 12 years.

In addition to her selection as Montana’s State Teacher of the year, Melissa garnered a National Science Foundation President’s Award for Excellence in Mathematics Education in 2012. The award recognized her stellar work as a K-8 math coach and as an elementary school math and science teacher. She was recognized at the White House for the prize in 2013.

“Ensuring that my students are connected to the world around them and able to display empathy and compassion to those in their world is extremely important,” Melissa asserts. “Students who experience other cultures and develop skills in a connected world are better prepared to be productive, kind, and world changers, she continues. “I aim to bring the world to my students by extending student learning through field trips and hands on experiences, using technology as a tool to compare our community and state to other parts of the world, and by emphasizing the act of giving to others,” she concludes.

Congratulations to kindergarten teacher Sara Reed, who was named the 2018 Wyoming State Teacher of the Year. “Sara Reed is one of those outstanding individuals whose personal mission fits their professional mission,” says Boyd Brown, Superintendent of Campbell County School District #1. “During her 12 years as a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Reed has taken every student in her class and worked to meet their needs, no matter what learning style they may have or other hardship they may be dealing with outside of school,” Brown declares. “Sara is a leader in her school, the district, and will be a great role model as the Wyoming State Teacher of the Year,” he concluded.

Sara was raised in a family of educators in Gillette, Wyoming. She has been a teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School for 12 years. She has a reputation for making every effort to get to know each student and their families so she can tailor her teaching to meet their needs. She also incorporates “movement with a purpose” into her classroom to help her students improve in their reading and writing, and to reduce behavior problems.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Sara developed the Kindergarten Mentor Program at Hillcrest. The program pairs each kindergartener with a sixth grader at the beginning of the school year to ease the transition into school. Sara matches students based on interest, gender, and culture, making sure that each English-Language Learner student has a sixth grader that can speak with them in their native language. Principal Brad Winter says the mentor program is one of the most positive and successful programs available at Hillcrest, and it has helped ease the stress of starting kindergarten for many of the students and their families.

Congratulations, Sara!