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Goldin named semifinalist in CT 2017 Teacher of the Year

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Dr. Sarah Goldin
Dr. Sarah Goldin

Greenwich High School science teacher, Dr. Sarah Goldin has been selected as a semifinalist in the 2017 Connecticut Teacher of the Year (CT-ToY) program. As a semifinalist, Dr. Goldin met with members of the selection committee in Hartford on Sept. 15 for an interview and gave a brief presentation on a pre-assigned topic. Based on these interviews, the State committee selects the finalists for the next stage of the process. Finalists are visited at their schools at the end of September and the Commissioner announces the 2017 CT Teacher of the Year during the week of Oct. 10.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sal Corda said, “We are very fortunate to have an inspirational role model such as Dr. Goldin guiding our students as both a scientist and a teacher. We wish Sarah all the best as moves forward in the State’s Teacher of the Year program.”

To read about the CT-ToY selection process and a bio of Dr. Goldin, visit greenwichsentinel.com

 Selection process:

The Connecticut Teacher of the Year Program recognizes and honors teacher excellence. It does not attempt to select the “best” teacher; rather, to identify, from among many outstanding teachers of the year, one teacher to serve as a visible and vocal representative of what is best in the profession. The program celebrates excellence in teaching by recognizing teachers who have inspired a love for learning in their students and who have distinguished themselves in the profession.

Each district teacher of the year is eligible to submit an application to the State Department of Education for consideration as Connecticut Teacher of the Year. The teachers’ application packets include biographical and professional information, essays on topics ranging from personal teaching philosophy to the issues facing public education, and letters of endorsement. Each application is reviewed by at least five members of a statewide selection committee representing the state’s major educational organizations, former state teachers of the year, and community stakeholders. The review of applications identifies 12-15 semifinalists who are invited to make a formal presentation on a pre-assigned topic, and to respond to questions as part of an interview process. Finally, four finalists are visited at their schools, where selection committee members observe the teachers’ classes, interview colleagues, administrators, and students, as well as support staff, parents, and local board of education members.  At the conclusion of the site visits, the selection committee meets and selects the Connecticut Teacher of the Year.

Greenwich Public Schools Selection Process for Representative in Connecticut 2016 Teacher of the Year Program

Dr. Goldin was one of the six teachers selected and honored by the Greenwich Distinguished Teachers Awards Committee, Inc. (DTAC) in April/May, after a comprehensive nomination and review process. The Greenwich DTAC, a nonprofit organization, was established in 1984 to recognize and celebrate excellence among the dedicated teaching staff of the Greenwich Public Schools.

The Superintendent of Schools is subsequently charged with selecting from among the six Distinguished Teachers annually, the one teacher that will represent Greenwich in the Connecticut Teacher of the Year program. In May, then Superintendent of Schools Dr. William McKersie reviewed the nomination packets submitted for each of the Distinguished Teachers, spent time in each of their classrooms, debriefed the observations with each teacher and with their principal/headmaster, and reviewed essays submitted as part of the selection process. In June, Dr. McKersie announced Dr. Goldin as the Greenwich Representative for the 2017 Connecticut Teacher of the Year program.

Bio Brief: Sarah Goldin

Before becoming a teacher in 2009, Dr. Sarah Goldin spent eleven years in primary science, culminating in a doctoral degree in genetics and development from Columbia University, including seven years working as a full-time laboratory research scientist during which she published eight articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She also worked for four years as a Scientific Advisor and Patent Agent for an intellectual property firm.

In 2009, Greenwich High School (GHS) welcomed Dr. Goldin as a science teacher. She has taught biology and honors biology and was a co-creator of the high school’s honors biochemistry course. In order to prepare for the development of this new course, Dr. Goldin independently obtained her teaching certificate in chemistry.

Dr. Goldin was instrumental in launching the AVID program at Greenwich High School in 2010, and in developing the Innovation Lab, which launched in 2015. For the Innovation Lab, she wrote and obtained two grants from the Greenwich Alliance for Education after spending countless hours designing and promoting the program. Innovation Lab is an interdisciplinary, project-based learning program that engages students of all ability levels in collaborative problem-solving around real world issues as supported by relationships with, and presentations to, experts and professionals in the community.

Dr. Goldin graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi from Princeton University, Princeton, N.J. with a bachelor of arts in molecular biology, where she also won the George Khoury Senior Prize for Academic Excellence. She received a master of science in biotechnology from University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by a master of arts and master of philosophy in genetics and development, both from Columbia University, New York, N.Y. She received a doctorate in genetics and development, also from Columbia University in 2002.

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