A Lafayette High School teacher has been named this region’s Teacher of the Year by the state’s top education officials.
U.S. and Virginia history teacher Stephen Legawiec discovered he had been named Virginia 2019 Region 2 Teacher of the Year on Thursday after Virginia Superintendent for Public Instruction James Lane made a surprise visit to his classroom.
In April, Legawiec also earned the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year award after establishing himself as an “innovative and passionate educator,” the school division said in a news release.
Legawiec has been a teacher for seven years and joined WJCC Schools in 2016. He describes himself as a “history nerd” and serves as a Standards of Learning tutor, Model United Nations coach and mentor.
“I expect my students to have conversations about history and politics with their families at the dinner table, to write to their representatives when they feel unheard and to engage actively in the betterment of our community and world,” Legawiec said in the release.
Legawiec is one of eight teachers statewide to receive the state Teacher of the Year award.
“I commend each and every one of these [eight regional] teachers for the excellent work they do every day to empower students and engage them in excellent learning experiences,” Lane said. “While we are currently recognizing these eight teachers, they represent the thousands of amazing teachers in classrooms across the state.”
WJCC Schools Superintendent Olwen Herron also made an appearance at Lafayette for the award.
“Any child would be fortunate to have Steve Legawiec as a teacher,” Herron said. “His passion for history is evident in every lesson and he has the unique ability to guide students as they make important connections between the past, present and future.”
Students in Legawiec’s class research topics and participate in debates and seminars, the release said. The activities challenge students to evaluate their views and ideas, and encourage all students to think critically.
The teacher also shares his instructional strategies with his colleagues both at school and throughout the division, and aids struggling learners in his classroom.
The 2019 Virginia Teacher of the Year, who is picked from the eight regional teachers, will be announced Sept. 14 during a celebration in Richmond, the release said.
