New London ― Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School teacher Kiana Foster-Mauro, the state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, grew up entranced by the sorcerous power of stories.

“I yearned to be a part of that magic,” she told a crowd of students, colleagues and state and local officials during a Tuesday celebration inside the elementary school where she’s taught fourth grade for just over two years. “Learning is magic in its rawest form and teachers are magicians.”

Foster-Mauro, a 24-year-old Groton resident, was feted at an award ceremony attended by Gov. Ned Lamont, state Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, New London Mayor Michael Passero and school Principal Jason Foster, along with local school board and City Council members.

In between speakers, fourth- and fifth-graders danced and sang on a stage, earning enthusiastic applause from guests and classmates. But the loudest cheers erupted as Lamont introduced the morning’s guest of honor and announced her winning the state’s highest teaching recognition.

“Arts inform everything,” the governor said, referencing a list of innovators, including Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs ― and school namesake Nathan Hale, a New London school teacher. “In Connecticut, we have the best schools, the best teachers in the world.”

Foster-Mauro beat 104 other candidates during a grueling months-long vetting process that began with her district’s nomination, said Lauren Donner, chairman of the state Department of Education award selection council.

“It’s quite rigorous,” Donner said. “There’re seven essays, interview panels and a site visit where committee members spent half a day observing (Foster-Mauro) in her classroom and also talking with parents and staff.”

Foster-Mauro recalled that observation day clearly.

“I was in the middle of a lesson, thinking everything was going phenomenally, when the fire alarm went off,” she said. “But it worked out fine. We came back in and picked up where we left off.”

As part of the award responsibilities, Foster-Mauro will serve as the state’s public face for education. She said she’ll use her pulpit to continue pushing for classroom equity and diversity, something she’s being doing since her college days.

“Students want to see faces in the front of the classroom to look like them,” Foster-Mauro said.

Russell-Tucker lauded Foster-Mauro for empowering students.

“She believes in the idea of teaching as a radical act that impacts hearts and minds,” Russell-Tucker said.

Board of Education President Elaine Maynard-Adams said Foster-Mauro belongs to a select group of educators and staff that perform “small miracles for children” just about every day in the district.

Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie called Foster-Mauro a dedicated, passionate educator, a “true gem” who ignites passion in her students.

Foster-Mauro, who is now in the running for National Teacher of the Year, called the state award a “humbling privilege and honor.”

“It takes a collective effort to make the state’s schools shine,” she said, addressing her fellow teachers. “You, too, are magic.”

j.penney@theday.com