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According to Toms River Schools, Christine Girtain, the 28-year Toms River Regional Schools educator who teaches science and serves as the director of authentic science research (ASR) at High School North and High School South, has been named the Ocean County Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Department of Education.
Governor Phil Murphy remarked in a press release announcing the winners for each county, "These 21 educators are great models of the kinds of dynamic teaching that takes place in New Jersey's classrooms." "The strength of our teaching workforce, as exemplified by our County Teachers of the Year, contributes significantly to the excellence of our schools. It is not surprising that New Jersey has some of the greatest public schools in the country.
This is the second year in a row that Ocean County's TOY is a TRRS product; Michael DeRiggi, a fifth-grade teacher in North Dover, received the distinction in 2021.
Girtain has made a significant contribution to STEM education within TRRS that is difficult to match, and she has done so in a variety of exceptional and noteworthy ways. She has taken both her colleagues and students on research excursions to Oklahoma and Costa Rica.
She has been successful in securing numerous cutting-edge funds for initiatives ranging from wolbachia investigations to corn. And she has partnered with a wide variety of institutions and non-profits, including the U.S. Army, farming cooperatives, and Vanderbilt University, to create real and mutually beneficial relationships.
She has had an enormous influence on her students and nearly everyone who has crossed her path along the way and throughout her career.
Girtain has received numerous honors and accolades over the course of her academic career, including the Nourish the Future Teacher of the Year Award in 2021 and the National Association of Biology Teachers Genetics Education Award in 2022. Most importantly, she has gained the respect and affection of her peers.
According to district grant writer Mike Kenny, who attributes Girtain with helping the district secure numerous grants, "Christine is such an expert in—and an expert at earning funding for—such specifics things like corn, beef, and mosquito research, that all you can do is sit back and shake your head in amazement." "She is, however, a teacher and person who is exceptionally well-rounded overall. Every positive development that occurs here—and there are many—seems to either directly or indirectly relate to Christine Girtain."
From among the 21 County Teachers of the Year, the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year will be chosen by a panel of educators based on written applications, video submissions, and interviews with the top finalists. At the State Board of Education meeting in October, the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year is normally named. This individual will go on to represent New Jersey in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
