Norwich — Teachers' Memorial Middle School music teacher Elisha Millerd Lewis was named Thursday as the Norwich Public Schools' Teacher of the Year.

Superintendent Abby Dolliver said she surprised Millerd Lewis with the presentation in her classroom Thursday morning.

Millerd Lewis has taught music and chorus for nine years, all in Norwich, and started the Teachers' Memorial Middle School Choir "from scratch," Dolliver said. The group has performed at the Eastern Regional Music Festival at Eastern Connecticut State University. She also organized three youth musical productions in Norwich and works with the school system's Aspire after-school program.

Millerd Lewis said she was shocked at Thursday morning's award announcement.

"Music is something I've always loved," she said. "I've been singing as far back as I can remember. Chorus is something I always enjoyed and wanted to share it with others."

She said she hopes her selection this year will bring attention to the need for music and arts education in public schools at a time when budget cuts threaten those programs. The chorus at Teachers' was eliminated as a school-time program this year to focus more on core instruction, but Millerd Lewis said she hopes chorus can be restored next year.

"I hope this can kind of be a push to put the arts back into Norwich Public Schools, and I hope I can advocate for our programs," Millerd Lewis said.

Millerd Lewis grew up in Colchester and still lives there with her husband and six dogs. She earned her bachelor's degree at the State University of New York Crane School of Music in Potsdam, N.Y., and her master's degree in early childhood education at ECSU. She currently is pursuing a sixth-year certificate in educational technology at the University of Connecticut.

She will represent Norwich in the statewide Teacher of the Year competition in 2014.

c.bessette@theday.com