East Windsor STEM Teacher Named Mercer County Teacher Of The Year

EAST WINDSOR, NJ — Jennifer Vogel, a STEM teacher at Melvin H. Kreps Middle School in the East Windsor Regional School District, has been named Mercer County Teacher of the Year for the 2026-2027 school year.

Vogel was among 21 educators recognized as New Jersey's County Teachers of the Year at an awards ceremony held Aug. 12, 2026, at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. The New Jersey Department of Education announced the honorees, one selected from each county.

"New Jersey's success depends on the strength of our public schools and the tireless commitment of the educators who show up every day for our kids," Gov. Mikie Sherrill said. "The 21 County Teachers of the Year who are being recognized today represent the very best of this profession."

Vogel earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with honors from Rowan University, completed graduate studies in instructional mastery, and holds a National Certificate for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Teaching from the National Institute for STEM Education.

She has spent 16 years at Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, beginning as a mathematics teacher before transitioning to STEM, where she has led the design of a program aimed at giving all students hands-on, real-world learning experiences.

For eight years, Vogel has also served as the district's lead teacher, mentoring colleagues and piloting a model classroom. Her research on a blacklight rocket engine was published by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts and the Universities Space Research Association.

She regularly presents at conferences for the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey and the New Jersey Science Convention on STEM education, teacher leadership and educational technology.

Individual schools select their own Teachers of the Year, who then become eligible to apply for County Teacher of the Year through the Governor's Educator of the Year Program.

A panel of educators will select the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year from among the 21 county honorees this fall, based on written applications, video submissions and interviews with finalists. The state winner will go on to represent New Jersey in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

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