North Hills Middle School eighth grade social studies teacher Joe Welch has been named one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
Mr. Welch, CCSSO’s 2022 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, has taught in the North Hills School District for 15 years and served as seventh and eighth grade team leader for more than 10 years. He was Pennsylvania's Teacher of the Year in 2020, the American Middle Level Association’s Educator of the Year in 2019 and the 2019 Pennsylvania Social Studies Teacher of the Year. Additionally, he was honored as National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in 2018, and in 2016, was the PBS Digital Innovator for Pennsylvania.
If named National Teacher of the Year, Welch will spend the next year serving as an ambassador for education and an advocate for teachers and students across the country.
“This is a tremendous honor for Joe, our district and the entire North Hills community,” said North Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino. “He is a leader among his peers and admired by his students and colleagues alike. We are so fortunate to have Joe at North Hills and thank him for his tireless and unwavering dedication to his students and to his profession.”
Welch joins three other finalists, with the National Teacher of the Year being named at the end of April:
- Autumn Rivera, sixth-grade science teacher and CCSSO’s 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year
- Whitney Aragaki, high school science teacher and CCSSO’s 2022 Hawaii Teacher of the Year
- Kurt Russell, high school history teacher and CCSSO’s 2022 Ohio Teacher of the Year
“We are thrilled to learn that Joe Welch is a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is a dynamic educator and role model for everyone in our school. This is a well-deserved honor, and we congratulate him,” said North Hills Middle School Principal LaMont Lyons.
Pennsylvania’s most recent National Teacher of the Year finalist was Brockway Area Junior/Senior High School teacher Ryan Devlin in 2014. There has never been a National Teacher of the Year from Pennsylvania.
CCSSO’s National Teacher of the Year program identifies exceptional teachers across the country, celebrates their work in and outside the classroom, and, through one-of-a-kind professional development opportunities, helps them amplify their voices and empowers them to take part in policy discussions at the state and national level.
North Hills Middle School is one of six schools that make up the North Hills School District, located in suburban Pittsburgh, just north of the city. Approximately 4,700 students attend the district’s four K-5 elementary schools, middle school that houses grades 6-8 and high school for grades 9-12.