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08/20/2019 12:00 AMNorth Branford’s 2020 Teacher of the Year is Jackie Thurston of Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES). The district also named its 2020 Building Teachers of the Year.
Thurston’s efforts on behalf of TVES and the district include her work, starting in early 2019 and extending into 2020, as a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program grant winner. Thurston, a special education teacher, has developed an action plan centered around global goals that is being implemented by the TVES community. Thurston recently returned from her trip as a Fulbright teacher in India this summer. She was featured as a Person of the Week in The Sound in March 2019.
“Miss Thurston is a life-long learner filled with enthusiasm, energy, and passion [who] is consistently learning and working with others to empower those around her to realize their potential,” said Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker in his annual Teacher of the Year/Building Teachers of the Year announcement. “This year she was recognized as a Fulbright Global educator, one of only 76 from across the country. [She] has already used this platform and new learning to affect change and support students and staff across TVES in taking action to make the world a better place for everyone in it. She has committed to sustainability, global relief efforts, and the importance of education and awareness of the world beyond North Branford.”
Thurston is also the 2020 TVES Building Teacher of the Year.
Schoonmaker also extended his sincerest congratulations to all of the North Branford Public School 2020 Building Teachers of the Year, including: Amber Lake, Jerome Harrison Elementary School; Kaitlyn Pierce, North Branford Intermediate School; and Christopher Reynolds, North Branford High School.