Weymouth Resident Named Mass. Teacher of the Year

QUINCY, MA — This year's top educator is a teacher from the Quincy Public Schools.

Commissioner of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester announced Tuesday that Cara Pekarcik, a science teacher at North Quincy High School, is the 2018 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.

Pekarcik, who lives in Weymouth, is the state's 56th recipient of this award and automatically becomes the state's candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Program.

"Teachers like Ms. Pekarcik are what make our schools and communities such a great place to live, work and learn," said Governor Charlie Baker in a release. "We congratulate Ms. Pekarcik on this incredible achievement and look forward to her continued success teaching Massachusetts students for years to come."

In September 2015, Ms. Pekarcik was chosen to become part of the 2016 cohort of PolarTREC teachers and live and work aboard an icebreaker near the Western Antarctic Peninsula with researchers from several universities and research institutions. While there, she kept a journal that was accessible to her colleagues and students and continued to communicate with them as she researched diatoms, a type of algae.

In class, she uses topics like genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as starting points for students' research and debates. The GMO lesson teaches students "not only about food and genetic engineering, but most importantly, how to gather facts and make informed decisions," Ms. Pekarcik said.

"I have met wonderful, devoted, creative teachers across the Commonwealth, and Ms. Pekarcik represents the best among them," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. "She has worked hard to make learning in her classroom an interactive and inclusive process, and her enthusiasm and lifelong learning is a model for her students."

The selection process for the 2017-18 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year began last fall with a call for nominations from administrators, teachers, students, parents and others. An initial review of each nominated teacher's written application led to the selection of semifinalists, who then submitted additional supporting material. Six finalists were selected and interviewed by an independent review panel of experts, including past recipients of the recognition. That panel then recommended one finalist to be named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year by Commissioner Chester.

A native of the Pittsburgh area, Pekarcik holds a bachelor's degree from Southampton College of Long Island University and a master's degree in secondary education (biology) from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has taught science at North Quincy High School since 2006.

Portions of a press release were used in this article

Image via Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education