On Oct. 29, Connecticut held its annual Teacher of the Year Ceremony at Central Connecticut State University to recognize this year's award winners. Ledyard Public School was very fortunate to be represented by Mrs. Deborah Mihalko, an elementary school special education teacher from Juliet Long School. In fact, Mrs. Mihalko's qualifications were so impressive that she was selected as one of the semi-finalists for the State Teacher of the Year.

The program is a highlight of the year for state educators because it focuses attention on the most outstanding teachers we have in the state. The event provides a forum to reinforce the importance of teaching and the enormous role played by classroom teachers in the lives of their students.

Mrs. Mihalko's accomplishments showed the power of teacher collaboration to support learners. A major part of her teaching duties at Juliet Long School is to co-teach a fourth-grade reading class; Mrs. Mihalko teams up with the regular classroom teacher to provide reading instruction designed to meet the individual needs of the students. Over the last several years, the reading performance of her students has been truly remarkable. Students who enter the class below grade level often experience more than one year of reading growth.

The ceremony gave the educational community a wonderful
opportunity to recognize outstanding role models and reinforce the primary message that having high quality, dedicated teachers is the most important factor in the life of every student. In addition, Mrs. Mihalko was honored at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 4.

Congratulations Mrs. Mihalko on your well-deserved honor!

Dr. Mike Graner is the Ledyard superintendent of schools.