Hall STEM Teacher of the Year Program
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced a new Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year initiative on October 18, 2012 at the Massachusetts STEM Summit. As part of honoring the teacher of the year, Kraft committed a $5,000 grant to the winner’s school for STEM-related uses. The goal of the program is to recognize and honor a Massachusetts STEM teacher making significant contributions to STEM education and to promote the impact that educator is making in the field.
The 2016-2017 Massachusetts STEM Teacher of Year recipient was Kathleen Malone from Derby Academy in Hingham, MA. She was honored at the Massachusetts STEM Summit on Nov. 14, 2017 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The 2017-2018 winner, Erin Cronin from Revere High School, will be honored at the 2018 STEM Summit, which is once again on Nov. 14 at the DCU Center.
The winning teacher is also honored with tickets and pregame field passes at a Patriots home game and is invited to serve on the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council for one year.
To be eligible, a teacher must be a full-time, active, certified, K-12 classroom STEM teacher in a state-accredited Massachusetts public or private school. To be considered a teacher must:
- Spend the majority of the school day involved in direct instruction to students
- Be skilled in implementing effective teaching strategies
- Be able to explain personal teaching philosophy
- Be able to inspire students in STEM-related topics
- Show involvement and leadership in student-related extra-curricular activities
- Be respected by students, parents and co-workers
Nomination forms are available each November. Anyone, including oneself, can nominate a deserving teacher. Once nominated, the teacher is sent Phase 2 of the application process and must answer all questions. The Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year Committee then reviews all of the nomination applications and selects five finalists to be interviewed in late-winter/early-spring. Once the interview process is complete, a winner is selected. In addition to the $5,000 awarded to the winning teacher, Raytheon has committed $1,000 to each of the other four finalists. The winner is presented with the award at the annual STEM Summit.