Merrimack Woman Named NH Teacher of the Year

While has only been in existence for two years, it already has a pretty solid item to add to its resume: New Hampshire Teacher of the Year.

On Thursday morning, Bethany Bernasconi received the award in front of a packed auditorium crowd of nearly 700 onlookers. Bernasconi, a resident of Merrimack, has been teaching at the school since it was built. With the honor, she now becomes the state candidate for the 2012 National Teacher of the Year.

WHS principal Tom Murphy said while Bernasconi has surely received several unofficial accolades in her eight-year teaching career, this is likely the first official award. Each principal is given one nomination for the honor, and the names are whittled down to just five over the course of a year. Although Murphy knew Bernasconi had won more than three weeks ago, Bernasconi was caught by surprise.

"It's a very proud moment," Murphy said. "Bethany is certainly an amazing teacher. I think what she'll tell you is one of the reasons that she's as good as she is – she's surrounded by the faculty here. They all feed off each other. They push each other every single day. What kind of sets Bethany apart is she's just willing to go to all ends necessary in terms of making sure her kids are successful."

According to Murphy, an award like this helps out with credibility for the town and the state.

"The town made a very serious commitment when they built this school to not bring in a faculty that was just new and young," Murphy said.

They made a commitment to bring in the best teachers when Windham High School opened and they were able to attract phenomenal teachers, Murphy said.

Bernasconi taught at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School in Massachusetts before coming to Windham.

In her application for the award, she spoke about really trying to get to know her students to try to get them to achieve their dreams and goals.

“I bring to the classroom the recognition that each child is a whole and that I must find a way to make this living world personal and meaningful to them so that they too fall in love with the ideas of its complexity, its beauty, and its preservation," Bernasconi said.

Murphy also informed Bernasconi's husband a week ago so he could be in attendance for the ceremony.

In a statement issued by Virginia Barry, who serves as commissioner of the N.H Department of Education, she explained how important choosing the award recipient is for the state.

"Selecting a Teacher of the Year is an exceptional way to celebrate the many outstanding and dedicated people teaching in New Hampshire schools,” Barry said. “The NH Teacher of the Year isn’t the best teacher in the State, but is meant to represent the many excellent teachers devoted to the highest level of student learning in their classrooms. Bethany will serve as an ambassador for all the outstanding teachers in the New Hampshire."

The Teacher of the Year award is sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets. This year, Murphy said more than 30 teachers were nominated across the state. A committee made up of representatives from the Department of Education, prior award recipients and a representative from the N.H School Board Association evaluated the candidates.