Norwich — Sixth-grade math teacher Keely Backus was supervising her students at field day Thursday morning at Teachers’ Memorial Middle School when Superintendent Abby Dolliver approached with a bouquet of flowers.

Principal Alexandria Lazzari asked for the students’ attention to allow Dolliver to present Backus with the 2015 Teacher of the Year Award. Students applauded and rushed to give Backus hugs.

“I was in complete and total shock,” Backus said later. “I had no idea it was coming. I was incredibly overwhelmed, filled with joy and happiness.”

Backus has spent her entire teaching career in the Norwich public school system, starting as a teaching intern in 2002 and then as a student teacher before she was assigned to Teachers’ Memorial as a sixth-grade math teacher in 2005.

Next year, she will see the school be converted into a sixth-grade academy for all city sixth-graders, and on the day before school starts in late August, Backus will be asked to give the convocation speech to all her peers.

“I’m a little nervous about that,” she admitted. “I’ll spend the summer getting ready and trying to get over that.”

Backus said she looks forward to the new sixth-grade academy at Teachers’ Memorial. She said it will give all city sixth-graders a chance to get to know one another and to “build a sense of community” at the school.

The city currently has two middle schools. Next year, all sixth-graders will attend Teachers’ Memorial and all seventh- and eighth-graders will go to Kelly Middle School.

Backus said she doesn’t know if she and her husband, Rob Backus, who works at an East Hartford computer company, would have time to celebrate Thursday night.

Backus was selected from among the nine nominees, one from each city school. The selection committee includes three former winners, three administrators and Dolliver.

Dolliver said the upcoming transition of Teachers' Memorial into a sixth-grade academy had no bearing on the decision by the committee. She said the group considered commitment to students, community service and career progress.

"She stood out," Dolliver said. "It was unanimous."

c.bessette@theday.com

Twitter: @Bessettetheday