2-12-2024 10:57am

New Jersey State Teacher of the Year is a Finalist for 2024 National Teacher of the Year

Donnella Tilery Editor

Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Huber applauded New Jersey’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year, Joseph Nappi of Monmouth Regional High School, for being selected as one of the four finalists for National Teacher of the Year.

There have only been two other years since New Jersey entered the National Teacher of the Year program in 1969 that the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), which oversees the National Teacher of the Year program, has named a New Jersey teacher as a national finalist.

One of the four finalists will be named the 2024 National Teacher of the Year this spring and will spend the following year traveling the nation to present to educators and advocate on behalf of teachers and students. Additional information can be found on CCSSO’s National Teacher of the Year webpage and their bio of Joe. Joe teaches U.S. History to sophomores and a Holocaust, Genocide and Modern Humanity course to seniors. His lessons and his blog, “Ten Concrete Tips for Teaching About the Holocaust,” have been published by PBS. In addition, he co-founded a charity that raised over $75,000 from staff donations to help students overcome financial difficulties affecting their classroom success.