New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year Gets National Honor
It is always a great feeling for parents when they have great teachers working with their kids each day at school. We have some great teachers here in New Jersey and this year one of the best in the Garden State is being honored nationally. According to Ballotpedia, "In 2022, New Jersey had 1,321,709 students enrolled in a total of 2,312 schools in 546 school districts. There were 109,282 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16." Nationally our schools rank very well which is a tribute to our teachers as well.
According to U.S. News & World Report, "This year, 47.1%, or nearly half, of Massachusetts' eligible high schools were in the top 25% of the rankings. Connecticut came in second with 43.9%, New Jersey in third with 42.9%, California in fourth with 42.5% and Florida in fifth place with 38.7% of its schools in the top 25%."
In a recent Patch article "Christine Girtain, the Toms River Regional Schools teacher who is the 2022-23 New Jersey Teacher of the Year, is one of 43 teachers across the United States to receive the NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence for 2023-24." Congratulations to Christine, she is honored (as well as the other nominees) for their leadership, family and community engagement, excellence in the classroom, etc. It is great for the state and the nation to have honorees recognized on the national teaching stage.
(NJDOE Angelica Allen-McMillan, Ed.D., Christine Girtain)
On May 3, 2024, Christine Girtain and the other 2024 educator awardees will be honored at the NEA Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education. The event will take place at The Anthem in Washington, DC.
We salute Toms River teacher Christine Girtain and applaud her work here in the Garden State. Ms. Girtain is honored with the NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, Christine is 1 of 43 teachers in the Nation to receive the honor.
At the Whitehouse in Washington D.C. "L to R is Michele Martini TR HS South AP Bio Teacher; Andrea Vahey Reb Bank Catholic Math Teacher & former TR HS South Math Teacher; Christine Girtain, Mark Housel PE Teacher at the Beeler Elementary School in Marlton, He is also the 2023 Eastern District PE Teacher of the year. He was one of 5 finalists for the National PE Teacher of the Year. He was also the 2020 NJ PE Teacher of the Year and a kid from Silverton. He graduated HS North in 1990 with me and is my husband Andy's best friend. Far-right is my brother Paul, a history teacher at TR HS North." ~ Christine Girtain
See How School Cafeteria Meals Have Changed Over the Past 100 Years
Gallery Credit: Madison Troyer
