Kurt Dougan is Simsbury’s Teacher of the Year

The 2018 Kathleen Magowan Simsbury Teacher of the Year is Kurt Dougan, Simsbury High School’s (SHS’s) Coordinator of Technology & Engineering Education. An official announcement was made at the school district’s “welcome back” gathering for teachers on August 27, 2018.

Dougan began his career in Springfield, Massachusetts, then taught in Torrington and Canton before coming to Simsbury in 2000. Since coming to Simsbury, he has worked with students in grades 8-12 and served as coordinator for his department.

Dougan has been teaching the Project Lead the Way engineering program since its inception in 2003, and many of his students have gone on to college to study engineering. One of his proudest accomplishments is introducing the "Electrathon" program to his high school students. This program enables students to design, build, and race fully functional electric race cars at Lime Rock Park in Lime Rock, Connecticut. Dougan also co-founded SHS’s FIRST Robotics team, leading the aspiring engineers to national competitions on several occasions. He is a big supporter of encouraging girls to become engineers and thus participates in the annual “Girls in Engineering Day” each year, when a group of Simsbury middle school girls travel to the high school to check out the facilities and programs.

Said Dougan in his speech to his colleagues, “This is my passion—helping others find their own.”

Last year’s Teacher of the Year, music teacher Colleen Thompson, announced Dougan’s award. Said Thompson, “Kurt prides himself on helping his students make themselves a larger part of their community.”

Dougan believes in giving back to the community, and he practices what he preaches. He and his students began participating in the Freedom Pen project in 2003, hand making pens that are delivered to veterans overseas to show appreciation and give them a tool to write letters back home. This program has grown under his direction to include the middle and high school students, faculty and community members making pens in their annual 22-hour "Freedom Pen-a-Thon" in observance of Veterans Day. The next Freedom Pen-a-Thon is scheduled to begin on November 8th at 4PM at SHS.

Dougan is acutely aware that devoting so much time outside of the classroom would never have been possible without unwavering support from his family. During his speech, he expressed gratitude to his wife, Christine, and his three children, Jaclyn, Russell, and Maggie.

About the Kathleen Magowan Teacher of the Year Program

Simsbury’s annual Teacher of the Year program honors former teacher Kathleen Magowan, a Simsbury elementary school teacher for 35 years, who upon her passing at the age of 87 on August 17, 2011, left a generous bequest to the district. The Teacher of the Year honoree traditionally receives funds from the district for professional development, and the Magowan Fund provides an additional $2,500 so that the honoree can attend a national conference of their choosing. With his designation as Simsbury’s Teacher of the Year, Dougan is eligible to compete for the honor at the state level. The Connecticut Teacher of the Year will be announced in October.