MC schools pick 2022 Teachers of the Year

In celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6), faculty and staff at each of the three schools in the Middlesex County Public Schools (MCPS) system selected Teachers of the Year. Candidates were nominated and finalists selected by their colleagues at each school. This year’s honorees include Middlesex Elementary School’s Kristen Connelly, St. Clare Walker Middle School’s Susan Valencia and Middlesex High School’s Eric Schaefer.

Kristen Connelly is completing her seventh year of teaching at Middlesex Elementary School. She taught fifth grade and currently teaches pre-kindergarten students and serves as the team leader. She was awarded the Novice Teacher of the Year for 2015-2016.

The  biggest reward about teaching, according to Connelly, is watching her students grow and learn and making a difference to future generations.

Susan Valencia has been a teacher for 30 years and taught at St. Clare Walker Middle School for 29 years. She has worked under 11 superintendents over her time at MCPS.  She has often been a mentor to new teachers in the division supporting them during their first year.

Valencia’s perseverance and flexibility have allowed her to overcome the many challenges over the course of her career.

Eric Schaefer has been a special education teacher for 11 years and taught at Middlesex High School since 2020. He worked as an instructional assistant prior to becoming a teacher. During his teaching career he has served in self-contained classes and also as a collaborative teacher.

It is Schaefer’s hope that those whom he teaches will be left with memories that strengthen and guide them for the rest of their lives.