BRICK – Brick Township Public Schools recently named Pamela Cooper of Lake Riviera Middle School as the 2018 District Teacher of the Year. Cooper is a Family and Consumer Science teacher at LRMS and has been teaching in Brick since 2012.
“Ms. Cooper teaches with infective enthusiasm and continually modifies her program to ensure that all students are successful” said, Lake Riviera Middle School Principal Dr. Alyce Anderson.
“Ms. Cooper’s classroom activities are crafted to encourage critical thinking in her students. Students create their own recipes and also participate in performance –based tasks, lab experiences and interdisciplinary projects like, “Kitchen Crime Scene Investigations,” Grilled Cheese Wars,” Iron Chef,” and “Food Truck Wars.””
Cooper’s curricular and instruction expertise have helped her to implement the National Family and Consumer Science Standards for colleagues both in district and outside, according to BTPS.
She also participates in various clubs as the Advisor for the Lead and Seed (the Anti-Drug Awareness Coalition), and member of the Character Education Committee and the Green Teams.
Part of Cooper’s teaching method is to encourage sustainability. She has been working on implementing a student grown garden to help students experience farm-to-table activities as well as provide an environmentally sound community-based resource. A portion of the harvest will be donated to a local food pantry.
“She is a passionate, innovative professional who is highly respected by all members of the school community. Ms. Cooper represents the very best of the Brick Township Public Schools,” said Acting Superintendent, Dennis Filippone.
All of the nominees for District Teacher of the Year are nominated by each building. The other finalists were:
- Malka Kuznicki, Drum Point Road Elementary School
- Devon Ramirez, Emma Havens Young Elementary School
- Erin Sugrue, Herbertsville Elementary School
- Marni Montemurno, Lanes Mill Elementary School
- Lauren Tallarida, Midstreams Elementary School
- Jacqueline Padlo, Osbornville Elementary School
- Marsha Goforth, Veterans Memorial Elementary School
- Ellen Day, Warren H. Wolf Elementary School
- Barbara Favato, Veterans Memorial Middle School
- Monica Cardin-Bussanich, Brick Township High School
- William Steinmetz, Brick Township Memorial High School.
