North Hills Instructor Named PA Teacher Of The Year

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - North Hills Middle School eighth grade social studies teacher Joe Welch has been named the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. He was chosen from 12 finalists and announced as the winner following a luncheon at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey on Monday.

Co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania chapter of the National State Teacher of the Year, the Pennsylvania YTeacher of The Year Program recognizes teaching excellence by honoring K-12 public educators who have made outstanding academic contributions.

“We’re thrilled to have the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year working alongside our students,” North Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino said in a statement. “This is an amazing accomplishment for Joe and we thank him for representing our district with pride and for all he does for our students.”

Last month, Welch was honored as the American Middle Level Association’s Educator of the Year, and in October, he received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies. He was also the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s National History Teacher of the Year in 2018 and the PBS Digital Innovator for Pennsylvania in 2016.

As Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year, Welch will serve as an advocate at the state level for all of Pennsylvania’s public education teachers. He will present as the keynote speaker at various conferences and events, and facilitate workshops and professional development sessions. He will also represent Pennsylvania at the National Teacher of the Year ceremony at the White House.