Baltimore, MD, June 12, 2018 – The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Chancellor of Education, Jim Sellinger, announced today the 2018 Archdiocesan Elementary and High School Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Kristen Zorica, from St. John the Evangelist School, Severna Park was named Elementary School Teacher of the Year, and Mrs. Genie Massey, from St. Maria Goretti High School, Hagerstown, was named High School Teacher of the Year.
The Teacher of the Year recipients were selected by the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Teacher of the Year Committee, which included Department of Catholic Schools staff, Archdiocese of Baltimore School Board representatives, and a representative from the Vicariate office. The committee selected Mrs. Zorica and Mrs. Massey from a pool of 45 Archdiocesan elementary and high school Teacher of the Year nominees, all of whom were the recipients of their school’s 2018 Teacher of the Year award. The decision was based on each nominee’s demonstration of Catholic identity, innovative instruction, professionalism, and leadership, as well as classroom observations, and interviews.
Mrs. Zorica and Mrs. Massey both “set an example of teaching excellence among students and co-workers alike,” said Jim Sellinger, Chancellor of Education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Catholic Schools. Mrs. Zorica’s “instructional abilities bring out the excitement of students to read, write and talk about literature and the world around them,” and Mrs. Massey “gives hours of after-school instruction to students needing extra assistance” and “nurtures the gifts and talents of her students.”
Mrs. Zorica has 18 years of teaching experience, and currently teaches middle school at St. John the Evangelist School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Stanford University and a Master’s in Education from George Mason University.
Mrs. Massey has 10 years of teaching experience, and is currently the Social Studies Department Chair and AP teacher at St. Maria Goretti High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Randolph Macon Women’s College and Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.
Mrs. Zorica and Mrs. Massey will receive their Teacher of the Year certificates and awards at the 2018 Convocation of Catholic Schools, on August 26, 2018 at the Church of the Nativity in Timonium.
About St. John the Evangelist School: Established in 1959, Saint John the Evangelist is a Catholic parish school serving families with children in preschool through 8th grade in Severna Park. Currently, the school’s enrollment is 453 children and 48 staff and faculty. Saint John the Evangelist School has been designated a National Blue Ribbon School and is a Maryland Green School. Over 70% of the faculty has earned master’s degrees and 7 faculty members attended Saint John and returned to join the faculty. Over half the faculty has or had children or grandchildren attend the school.
About St. Maria Goretti High School: St. Maria Goretti, is a Catholic coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Hagerstown, MD. Founded in 1955, St. Maria Goretti serves students from around the region including Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland, Franklin and Adams counties in Pennsylvania, and Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia. St. Maria Goretti provides an educational environment committed to Catholic values and traditions. The college preparatory program emphasizes academic excellence and nurtures the whole person through spiritual and physical development.
