West Salisbury Elementary math intervention teacher Tara Martens was named the 2023-2024 Wicomico Teacher of the Year April 12, 2023 in an announcement at the Teacher of the Year Spring Celebration held at Venue 54 in Delmar, Md.
Mrs. Martens has taught in Wicomico County Public Schools since 2012, and has been a math intervention teacher at West Salisbury Elementary since the 2018-2019 school year. She writes songs connecting music with math for the students she serves in math intervention. She also co-chairs West Salisbury’s Instructional Leadership Team and Family Engagement Committee. She initiated a Title 1 Summer Tutoring Program for grades 1 and 2, worked for Home Hospital, and served as a tutor at HALO.
“When I first began my career, I was eager to dive into content as soon as the bell rang each morning. However, that wasn’t what was best for my students. I needed to find a way to bring my classroom together as a family unit that supports and cares for one another,” Mrs. Martens wrote in one of her Teacher of the Year scored writing prompts. “I created a new morning routine, where my students entered a calm and welcoming environment with instrumental music playing as they received their breakfast. Once finished, they came to the front of my room and sat in a circle on the rug. Our circle reinforced that we were one unit, one family. Morning meetings allowed my students to talk about their previous night, their morning, and how they were feeling by using a color system which helped me gauge who I needed to check in with.”
“As I look back now, these morning meetings were truly the most important and magical part of each day. All students knew they belonged in our family and community of learners. Every day I held that meeting, my students learned valuable life skills that were in addition to the curriculum,” she wrote.
Mrs. Martens earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Salisbury University in 2011, and a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2017. She joined Wicomico County Public Schools in January 2012 as a 2nd Grade teacher at Beaver Run Elementary, where she taught until the end of the 2015-2016 school year. She was an intervention teacher at North Salisbury Elementary for two years, then began serving as a math intervention teacher at West Salisbury Elementary. She is a past recipient of the Baxter Enterprises McEducator Award for West Salisbury Elementary, and a member of the Wicomico County Education Association, the Maryland State Education Association, the National Education Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Mrs. Martens will be celebrated at West Salisbury Elementary starting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, April 13, when she will arrive with her family in a classic 1969 Buick Electra 225 driven by Wicomico band teacher and auto enthusiast Buck Burton. There will be a parade through the school, followed by a short assembly.
“We are delighted to have Tara Martens of West Salisbury Elementary represent all of Wicomico’s 1,400 teachers as the 2023-2024 Wicomico Teacher of the Year. She will represent Wicomico County Public Schools and its teachers very well in the Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Micah Stauffer said.
The Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program includes Maryland State Board of Education recognition in May and the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in October, as well as a host of activities throughout the next year.
Wicomico is proud to have three former Maryland Teachers of the Year working in the school system on behalf of students: Bonnie Walston, Aaron Deal and April Todd. The past three Wicomico Teachers of the Year, Rebecca Mathews (2022-2023), Dustin Thomas (2021-2022) and Hemalatha Bhaskaran (2020-2021), were state finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
Top Teachers Recognized
Over the past few months, the 25 teachers who are 2023 semifinalists interviewed with a blue-ribbon judging panel, participated in a public speaking challenge called the Fishbowl, and completed a writing packet. Scores from all three activities were compiled to determine the four top-scoring teachers, who were announced April 12 as the finalists.
Finalists for Wicomico Teacher of the Year:
Beaver Run Elementary: Dr. Nan Richerson, Music
East Salisbury Elementary: Kirsten Biddle, 3rd Grade
James M. Bennett High: Victoria Olinde, Math
West Salisbury Elementary: Tara Martens, Math Intervention
Tara Martens, the highest-scoring finalist, was named the 2023-2024 Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
2023 Semifinalists for Teacher of the Year:
Bennett Middle: Deanna Marshall, English Language Arts
Charles H. Chipman Elementary: Bethany Simon, Kindergarten
Delmar Elementary: Jenna Purnell, 4th Grade
Fruitland Intermediate: Danielle Pulliam, 5th Grade
Fruitland Primary: Kellie Martino, Prekindergarten 3
Glen Avenue Elementary: Tuishula “Tish” Wise, 3rd Grade
Mardela Middle & High: Don Abbatiello, Social Studies
North Salisbury Elementary: Kelli Lewis, 4th Grade Magnet
Northwestern Elementary: Melissa Hileman, 5th Grade
Parkside High: Sherri Harkins, French
Pemberton Elementary: Brenda Rhoads, 5th Grade
Pinehurst Elementary: Andromeda Massey, Prekindergarten
Pittsville Elementary & Middle: Ken Dasher, Band
Prince Street Elementary: Emily Dale, 1st Grade
Salisbury Middle: Heidi Hershey, Math
Westside Intermediate: Kara Watson, 2nd Grade
Westside Primary: Debbie Wessels, 1st Grade
Wicomico High: James “Matt” McMurdo, Special Education
Wicomico Middle: Michele Lilly, Math Intervention
Willards Elementary: Kelli Scholl, Physical Education
Special Programs: Dana Hetzler, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), English Language Support Center
Rising Star Award
In connection with the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program, the McCain Foundation recognized Lauren Bass of Prince Street Elementary as the winner of the 2023 Rising Star Award for outstanding second-year teachers. In addition to the winner, the finalists for this award were Chance Hogue (Choices Academy) and Julie Webster (Mardela Middle & High).
Friend of Education Award
Also announced on Wednesday evening was the 2023 recipient of the Friend of Education Award, Martin Hutchison. Through his service to the students and staff of Pinehurst Elementary and Choices Academy, and to all schools through his leadership in the creation of the Adopt-A-School Program, he was honored as the Friend of Education.
This announcement will be updated later this week with additional information about the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program and its sponsors, as well on the Rising Star and the Friend of Education.
