Our 2024 Teacher of the Year Finalists
Hartford Public Schools is pleased to announce the finalists for 2024 Teacher of the Year. The three outstanding teachers were selected by a district-wide committee made up of Hartford Public Schools directors, officials from the Hartford Federation of Teachers, and previous award winners. The finalists will be asked to complete a series of written essay questions and submit a videotaped lesson for the final evaluation. Our winner will be announce on May 23. You can see all of our 2024 Nominees here. These teachers were nominated by their schools for their outstanding work in service of our students.
Angela Blake, 7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher, Betances STEM Magnet School
Time flies when you’re having fun! This Angela Blake's 8th year teaching in Hartford. After teaching at Hartford Public High School’s credit recovery program, she joined the Betances STEM Magnet School family. Though born and raised in Hartford, Ms. Blake attended Plainville Public Schools as part of Project Concern now known as Open Choice. She went on to pursue her Bachelor's degree in Biology, and is a proud HBCU graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC. When Angela came back to CT, she obtained her teaching license and Master's degree in Education Technology at University of Saint Joseph.
Ms. Blake reflects, "Teaching is not just a job for me, it is my purpose and part of my life’s work. Learning should be an experience, and I want my students to know and see science everywhere by connecting science principles to life principles. It is my goal to be a transformational teacher helping transform minds by teaching students how to think critically and not what to think. I aim to cultivate minds to think for a change by changing their narrative and breaking barriers so they can see themselves as leaders, creatives, innovators, and change-agents in STEM and in life by Speaking Life and Teaching Life!"
When she is not teaching, Angela enjoys reading, taking road trips, kayaking, dancing, traveling, and taking walks in nature. She also mentors young girls, helping them through life transitions. Ms. Blake believes in the village, "If we all work together, we can empower this next generation to take the lead and be who they were purposed to be."
Yasmin Ithier-Vicenty, 2nd Grade Teacher, West Middle School
Yasmin Ithier-Vicenty is a second grade teacher at West Middle Community School. Inspired by her mother’s dedication and work ethic as an educator in Hartford Public Schools, Yasmin has always wanted to become a teacher. She attended the University of New Haven where she received her Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She has been teaching in Hartford for eight years and began as a behavior technician for the Rise program within McDonough School and West Middle Community School.
As a classroom teacher, she was fortunate to become a literacy and math lab teacher for the district and a member of the Eureka Math Squared Fellowship Program. She was also a member of the HFT/AFT Teacher Leadership Program where they discussed, researched, and collaborated on topics related to educational policy making. This year, she was nominated for the Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching. Along with teaching, she has been coaching girls’ volleyball and basketball at Newington High School for the past 11 years.
Yasmin passionately believes in bringing learning to life within her classroom. She approaches each day with an enthusiastic attitude towards teaching and a growth mindset towards becoming a better educator! She strives to instill a love for learning and motivates students to become the best version of themselves. When students think they can’t, she reassures them that they can, and are capable of so much! “Si Se Puede” is her classroom mantra that encourages students to push through and persevere through any challenge that is presented to them, no matter how big or small!
Jacqueline Rankin, Mathematics Teacher, Bulkeley High School
Jackie Rankin is proud to be finishing her eighth-year teaching math in Hartford, seven of which have been at Bulkeley High School. Jackie graduated from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in 2015 and 2016. She began her work with the community of Hartford while student teaching, and ever since has been committed to serving the students here.
Beyond the classroom, Jackie has been very involved with the Bulkeley community as the JV Girls’ basketball coach and Varsity Girls’ soccer coach at her school. In 2022, Jackie was accepted as a Noyce Math Teacher Leadership Fellow with the University of Connecticut, which has provided her the opportunity to share her own professional learning this year at two regional conferences.
Her work focused on the successful adaptation of Building Thinking Classrooms strategies within her own classroom and her role in supporting other teachers in Hartford with this pedagogical approach. If you ever see Jackie teach, it is clear that she loves her job, and she hopes to continue fostering those positive relationships with her students and help them not only improve in math but grow their confidence as whole students.
