Mansfield Educator Selected As CT Teacher Of The Year

MANSFIELD, CT — A teacher at Southeast Elementary School and Annie E. Vinton School in Mansfield has been selected as the state's Teacher of the Year, according to a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont. Kim King, a prekindergarten through fourth grade teacher has earned the state’s highest recognition honoring extraordinary teachers.

King found out the news during a surprise visit by the governor, education commissioner, and other state and local officials to Southeast Elementary School This was followed by a schoolwide assembly celebrating the recognition with the honorees’ fellow educators, family, and students from both schools.

“Connecticut has the best public school teachers of any state in the nation, which is why selecting one recipient for this honor each year is a challenging task, but it is an honor for me to announce that Ms. Kim King is Connecticut’s 2022 Teacher of the Year,” Lamont said in a statement. “Ms. King embodies so many of the qualities that delivers success in our schools, and her colleagues in Mansfield Public Schools have been singing her praises... I thank Ms. King and every teacher in Connecticut for what they provide our schools each and every day.”

King has served as a K-4 art teacher at Mansfield public schools for the past six years. Prior to that, she served at Riverside Magnet School in East Hartford and Westbrook High School in Westbrook.

King uses art education to nurture and stretch her students’ thinking while also helping them recognize the commonality between their own stories and experiences to those of others, according to the statement.

She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in art photography from Syracuse University and her Masters in Art Education from New York University.

“Kim is deeply committed to student-centered practices and supports children to find their voice and express themselves through a discovery-focused process of making art,” Mansfield Public Schools Superintendent Kelly Lyman said in a statement. “Kim will be a wonderful advocate for all teachers.”

“Kim’s warm and caring heart comes through in all that she does with our students, families, and staff,” Lauren Rodriguez, principal of Southeast Elementary School, said. “Our children love her because they know how much she cares about them.”