INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — With the
excitement and noise of a massive party, hundreds celebrated the
naming of Storm Grove Middle School’s 8th grade Social Studies
teacher Concetta Hall as the 2013 Teacher of the Year.
As her name was announced, the crowd
rushed to its feet, cheering, applauding and even blowing air horns
in appreciation.
Shocked, Hall’s jaw dropped as a
fellow finalist hugged her tightly. Confetti flew through the air,
peppering those on stage and in the front rows of the audience.
Hall crossed the stage, pausing
briefly to take in the sight of her name displayed on the overhead
screen. In disbelief, she pointed to the screen and then herself,
shaking her head.
“Oh my goodness!” Hall said. “I can’t
see!”
The teacher whose students call her
“very special,” said she wanted to thank God, her family, her
principal, Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams, and her Storm
Grove family.
“We love you Concetta!” members of the
audience shouted from the farthest rows in the Sebastian River High
School Performing Arts Center.
“It’s such an honor,” Hall said,
taking in the applause. “I hope I do all of you proud at all stages
and all levels.”
Hall beat out four other finalists to
be named the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Indian River County.
The finalists included Citrus
Elementary’s Lisa Ann Frame, Rosewood Magnet’s Julie Kastensmidt,
Sebastian Elementary’s Dr. Debbie Coughlin, and Sebastian River
High’s Lori Infanzon.
The naming of the winner was the
culmination of the gala recognizing all 21 nominees and their
contributions to their students.
A video of students school district
wide showed the diversity of classes and interests and pointed out
that each student learns differently from the rest. But the one
thing they all have in common – “We all have great teachers,” the
students said. “We love our teachers.”
“I know what a tremendous, tremendous
sacrifice you make,” School Board Chair Jeff Pegler said,
addressing the teachers. “You are changing lives each and every
single day.”
Dr. Adams told the crowd that the
teachers were nominated by their own peers and went through a tough
selection process to get where they were Thursday night.
“The challenge before us is to make
every classroom like their classroom,” Dr. Adams said, referring to
the work the nominees have been doing in their classes.
Teacher of the Year 2012 Rachel Serra,
of Vero Beach Elementary, said it has been an honor for her to
represent Indian River County this last year. She traveled the
state, meeting with other teachers in other districts, learning
what they’re doing and teaching them what Indian River County has
been doing.
She later crowned Hall as the 2013
Teacher of the Year.
Hall will go on to compete against
Teachers of the Year from other Florida school districts, and if
she wins the state title, will go on to compete against the
Teachers of the Year from the other states for the National title,
which will be determined in 2013.