State's Top Teacher Comes to WTHS
New Jersey Teacher of the Year Kimberly Dickstein Hughes Visits Washington Township High School
New Jersey 2019-20 State Teacher of the Year Kimberly Dickstein Hughes (third from left) was welcomed to Washington Township High School by (left to right) WTHS Principal Jonathan Strout, Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf, and WTHS social studies teacher and Gloucester County Teacher of the Year Brittany Mason.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Kimberly Dickstein Hughes brought a ton of positive energy, an inquisitive mind, and an educational excitement on her visit to Washington Township High School on Friday, January 17th. The 2019-20 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year kicked off a state-wide tour of schools and districts by visiting classrooms at WTHS and hosting a roundtable discussion centered around success stories in education.
“I’m here to celebrate the good things that are happening and elevating that. Lifting that up,” said Dickstein Hughes, an English Language Arts teacher at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Camden County. “Educators celebrating education is an amazing thing to do, and one maybe we don’t do enough of.”
Dickstein Hughes is currently on a one-year sabbatical from her teaching job, as all state teachers of the year spend one school year employed by the New Jersey Department of Education. So, it was a work day for the energetic educator, who took notes about what she saw and did short, impromptu interviews with WTHS staff members. She plans to visit each of New Jersey’s 21 counties during her tenure and promote the great things that schools and teachers are doing in the Garden State. Her platform includes lifting every voice, for every stakeholder, from every district, in every county.
On Friday, Dickstein Hughes’ day started in WTHS Principal Jonathan Strout’s conference room. There she was joined by 2019-20 Gloucester County Teacher of the Year and WTHS social studies teacher Brittany Mason – a close friend and Dickstein Hughes’ tour guide for the day – along with Strout and Washington Township Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf. The group talked about education in general, but specifically Washington Township, with Bollendorf giving an impassioned speech about the importance of the education profession that moved the special guest.
“I’m going to start tearing up,” Dickstein Hughes told Bollendorf. “Your passion really shows.”
Then, Dickstein Hughes proceeded to tour the WTHS building, checking in on several classrooms and meeting teachers and students alike. That included an extended conversation with the District’s secondary level education support professional of the year, WTHS school counselor Karin Eckert-Carpenter, a 36-year veteran of education.
During a stop at Mrs. Alex Ackley’s Intro to Business class, Dickstein Hughes had the opportunity to show off her teaching acumen. The students were doing research on non-profit organizations, so Dickstein Hughes took to the front of the classroom and talked about the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation. Named for Dickstein Hughes’ best friend from high school who lost her battle with cancer, the foundation raises funds and provides donations to help improve the quality of life for hospitalized teens. Dickstein Hughes serves on the foundation’s Community Advisory Board and advises the Youth Leadership Council. In 2017, the Victorious Foundation nominated Dickstein Hughes for the L’Oreal Woman of Worth Award program, which recognizes women making an extraordinary impact on their communities.
Dickstein Hughes certainly left Washington Township impressed with what she saw. Next week, she said, she will visit four more school districts. She said this is the best part of her role with the DOE.
“Even the days when I’m not scheduled to visit schools, I want to try to fit in some time to get out there,” she said. “There is just so much that we have to be proud of.”
For more information on Dickstein Hughes, check out her biography on the DOE website.
For more photos from Dickstein Hughes' visit to WTHS, click here.
Kimberly Dickstein Hughes (left) chats with WTHS animatronics students Lauren Crane (center) and Brock Tural.
- WTPS -