A video featuring the five nominees for Westport Teacher of the Year 2010 will be shown to all staff on Thursday, Aug. 27, the first day of school for teachers.
The names of the candidates were announced to the staff at the end of the just completed school year.
All candidates will be honored, and the name of the 2010 Teacher of the Year will be publicly announced at a Board of Education meeting in September. The public is invited to attend the meeting and a reception to follow.
Candidates, all of whom must be tenured certified teachers who are in the classroom for more than 50 percent of their time, may be nominated by any certified staff colleague including teachers and administrators.
However, the Westport Teacher of the Year is selected by a committee of teachers only.
Names of the candidates and brief sketches about them: (Contributed photos)
Janet Adams: Long Lots first grade teacher. Janet Adams, a first grade teacher at Long Lots Elementary School, has been in her present position for seven years. An innovative classroom practitioner, she entered the teaching profession after many years in the publishing business.
Adams has been very active in staff development, having made over a dozen presentations to staff and served on several planning committees to enhance instruction in the school.
She is described by her admirers as “a collaborative member of the staff, who takes initiative, seeks advice and is always willing to implement new ideas.”
Michael Aitkenhead: Staples science teacher. Michael Aitkenhead is a science teacher at Staples High School whose passion is the environment and who teaches AP Environmental Science.
During his five years at Staples, enrollment in those courses have increased from three to seven sections as he has shared his interest and fired up the enthusiasm of the school, the district and the Westport community.
He has been described as “a true inspiration for students wanting to learn first hand how to meet the challenges of an environmentally distressed world, teaching them courage, commitment and hope through his own actions and leadership.”
Jennifer Dunn: Coleytown first grade teacher.Jennifer Dunn is a first grade teacher at Coleytown Elementary School. She has taught in Westport for five years.
The tender age of her students notwithstanding, she encourages them to integrate technology into their studies to share their understanding as scientists and learners.
Her peers describe her as “intelligent, creative dedicated, organized, passionate and humble.”
She is also extraordinarily engaged in professional activities and has shared her knowledge and expertise with her colleagues in countless ways in many formal presentations and in informal assistance.
She is seen as a reflective teacher who uses her insights to improve her practice.
Daniel Geraghty: Staples English teacher.Daniel Geraghty, a Staples High School English teacher, has been in the Westport public school district for six years. He is seen as an extremely charismatic teacher.
His colleagues say that students just swarm around him any time he is seen in the cafeteria, library or elsewhere. They say he recognizes every student as an individual with a unique learning style and that he works tirelessly to accommodate students’ differences and to make English class matter to each one of them.
He is described as a having a masterful command of the subject matter and has been a leader in the Connecticut Writing Project, bringing that expertise to his teaching.
Carol Kochefko: Staples German teacher.Carol Kochefko, who teaches German at Staples High School, has been in Westport for 23 of her 31 years in teaching.
She has done extensive graduate study in the United States as well as in Germany and Austria, and has been active in professional organizations, holding important positions in the American Association of Teachers of German, and other specialized groups.
She is seen as an inspiration and a role model for her fellow teachers.
This is due to her determination that every student in her class shall find the classroom a safe, warm and welcoming place where the student can meet the challenge of a demanding subject and achieve surprising levels of competence.
