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Federico Fiondella Named 2020 Connecticut History Teacher of the Year

Federico Fiondella, a teacher at North Haven High School, has been named the 2020 Connecticut History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

“I received word in October that I had been nominated and was later chosen as a finalist,” says Federico. “I had to send in an application, which I did, and I found out toward the end of this summer.”

The Gilder Lehrman Institute award honors one K through 12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories.

“It’s pretty amazing stuff. Being nominated by students, colleagues, or parents really makes you feel proud of what you’re doing in terms of inspiring someone enough to write a few words on your behalf,” Federico says. “It really makes you think about your teaching profession, which I’m extremely proud of.”

Federico is now entering his 23rd year as a teacher in North Haven, teaching U.S. history at North Haven Middle School for his first six years before moving to the high school to teach history 16 years ago. Federico is no stranger to the North Haven school system as he grew up in North Haven, graduating in 1992, knowing early on he was interested in becoming a teacher.

“At a very young age, I’d narrowed down things I wanted to do and teaching was at the top of the list and after my first teaching course, in history especially, I knew it was my path,” says Federico. “Even though I’m going into my 23rd year, I feel just as motivated and passionate as I did in my first year.”

Though Federico was excited to begin his teaching, he spent some time traveling after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education (social studies) from Elizabethtown College in 1996. He backpacked through Europe and the Middle East, but when his father became ill, he returned to North Haven.

Soon after returning, he was offered a job coaching soccer—one of his passions—and then a teaching position. Federico coached the JV team from 1998 to 2000 before taking over as head coach through the 2016 season. In 2019, he was inducted into the North Haven High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Federico chose to step back from coaching to continue his education. He had earned his master’s degree in political science from Southern Connecticut State University in 2003, but wanted to complete his sixth-year degree in educational leadership at SCSU, which he accomplished in 2017. He next plans to work toward his doctorate in educational leadership.

“If you’re an educator, hopefully you still have the hunger to constantly reeducate yourself and constantly learn. It’s our duty to our profession,” says Federico. “I love being a student and can never hold back from signing up for classes. I like staying well informed and being able to learn anything that’s new that might help me help my students.”

Fiondella serves as board member of the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies. He was selected as George Washington Education Scholar in 2002 and has received the North Haven High School Delio J. Rotundo Teacher of the Year Award (2007 and 2018), UNITAS Distinguished Service Award (2008), and John H. Stedman Passion of the Social Studies Award (2017). Fiondella was awarded a certificate of special Congressional recognition in teaching by U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (2008) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (2017).

He also participates in North Haven High School’s Step-Up Program, an intervention program that works with students who could “use some extra inspiration.”

“I really enjoyed that because it made me see a few students and how to really try to reach out to the full population of the students to get everyone to buy in,” Federico says. “It made me a better person and a better instructor.”

Federico not only enjoys continuing his education, but sharing his knowledge with others as well. In addition to his students, Federico also works with student teachers whenever he has a chance. Throughout the past two decades, Federico has worked with more than a dozen student teachers.

“Any time any opportunity is offered to be a mentor, I try to step up and do that,” Federico says. “I really enjoy doing that and feel I can offer what my 23 years experience has been like to young educators. I also love working with younger teachers because they pass on any new approaches and help me reach a younger generation. That’s another reason I also like teaching at Southern.”

Federico also is an adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University. He not only gains insights on new techniques from younger teachers and as a professor, but he also is sure to communicate with both his high school and college students and student-teachers about current trends.

“As a teacher, you have to reinvent yourself over and over because we get older, but the kids stay the same age,” says Federico. “You have to know who you’re speaking to and find ways to connect with students. The trends of young people’s lives are so different than 10 or 15 years ago, especially when it comes to technology.”

While moving to a virtual platform certainly provided challenges, Federico looked at the positive side of having to move to an online classroom. He enjoyed learning the new technology and the opportunities he had to learn from others, including students, “to open up this new path for educators.”

Federico has seen the challenges COVID has presented as both a teacher and a parent. He and his wife Dayana have a 14-year-old son Fabrizio, their “big miracle,” who was born three months early and is immuno-compromised, making socialization difficult. Despite the challenges, he and his family have enjoyed time together during COVID with he and Fabrizio enjoying Vespa rides throughout North Haven and surrounding towns. His family also enjoys going to museums and traveling during non-COVID times.

Federico’s minor in archaeology led him to places like Israel, Iceland, and Greece to take part in excavations. When he coached the soccer team, he brought the team to play in both Italy and Spain, touring historical sites while on the trips.

One of Federico’s goals as a history teacher is to help students tie in historical events with current events. He enjoys showing students how the past relates not only to their lives, but how it can be a learning tool for the future.

“I feel very fortunate to find ways to connect with students and get them to connect history to today, understand its relevance, and how it connects to the world around them to make them better informed citizens,” Federico says. “Being a history teacher is all-encompassing. It’s not just history, it’s how we learn from those mistakes and connect something that happened so long ago and make young people see what’s happening now and make some connection.”

In looking at his career, Federico notes that between coaching and teaching, he has worked with thousands of students. He is glad he chose to become a teacher and encourages more people to choose this path.

“To know you have the power to change someone’s passion about a subject or inspire them based on what you’ve done in your classroom is incredible to think about that,” Federico says. “We need strong teachers who are passionate and willing to help others. It’s a privilege to be able to attempt to impact so many lives.”

Federico points out that his success is also thanks to the support of his family and coworkers. He is proud that Fabrizio is going through the same school system he did when he was young.

“I really love working in North Haven, being someone who lives here and grew up here, and it means a lot to raise my family here and be able to give back as an educator,” says Federico. “A huge thank you to my coworkers, the administration, and the community. It’s a wonderful place to work and I feel very supported by everyone and connected to the community. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”