Ocean County's Teacher Of The Year Is...

Brick Township got a gold star from the state Department of Education today: Lake RIviera Middle School teacher Brittany Bucco was named the Ocean County Teacher of the Year.

Bucco, a Spanish teacher who is beginning her eighth year in the district, is one of 21 recipients of the honor from the state, which announced the honorees Friday.

“New Jersey public schools are widely considered to be among the strongest in the nation,” said David Hespe the state Commissioner of Education, in a news release, “and teachers like these are part of the reason why. I am proud to recognize their leadership and look forward to learning more from them in the year to come.”

“Mrs. Bucco is an exceptional teacher who skillfully balances engaging and rigorous classroom instruction with sincere care and commitment for her students and their individual needs,” Brick Township school officials said last spring, when she was named the district’s teacher of the year. “Her classroom personifies high quality instructional practices, providing students with an experience where they are inspired and committed to learning.”

Teachers chosen as county Teachers of the Year are recognized for their contributions to their school communities at the local level, and are given the opportunity to serve as ambassadors of education to officials at the state level, the news release said. They will have opportunities to network with educators throughout the state and country, but state officials also will count on the group to bring valuable resources and materials directly from the state to local districts. At the same time, the teachers will be invited to serve on state committees and task forces to share their own experiences and voices at the state level.

County Teachers of the Year are first selected at the school level through the Governor’s Educator of the Year program. They then go on to compete at the county level and are selected by panels representing a cross-section of administrators, teachers, parents, and county education association representatives convened by the Department’s executive county superintendents.

A state-level panel of educators will select New Jersey’s State Teacher of the Year based on a written application, video submission, and interviews with the top five finalists. The State Teacher of the Year will be announced at the State Board of Education’s October meeting, and will go on to represent New Jersey at the National Teacher of the Year competition.

The National Teacher of the Year Program, of which the County Teacher of the Year program is a part, began in 1952 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious national honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching. The program is sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The group will name the nation’s top teacher in April 2016.

“I couldn’t have done this without the dedication of my students and the support of my colleagues and my administration,” Bucco said, when she was surprised in front of her eighth-grade class (see video below).

“I consider this award a tribute to the talent, dedication, professionalism and success of these educators. They not only inspire the children they teach, they inspire us all,” Hespe said.