New Castle, DE- The Colonial School District today named Mark McKenzie the 2019 District Teacher of the Year. McKenzie, a chemistry teacher at William Penn High School, has taught in Colonial for four years. He shows his dedication to students daily by being a committed teacher and mentor. In addition to his instructional leadership in several state and district projects, McKenzie takes a leadership role in Colonial’s annual Relay for Life team, a cause he champions in honor of his wife who is a breast cancer survivor. He is a key member of Educators of Color, an organization charged with increasing the recruitment and retention of minority
teachers and helped develop another organization called Colonial Keepers, a group that collaborates with the business community to bring industry experts into the classrooms to share their professional experiences with students. “As educators, we have the noble task of preparing the next generation of leaders…Unlike other professions, a regular school day in the life of an educator begins the moment we awake, and ends sometime around 11:59 P.M., “ McKenzie says.
Other building-level Teachers of the Year in Colonial are:
• Sarah Kise-Carrie Downie
• Karin Elentrio- Castle Hills
• Paul Rothbart-Eisenberg
• Tainikka Saunders- New Castle
• Angela Jackson- Pleasantville
• Stephanie Alexander- Southern
• Sophie Podolski- Wilmington Manor
• Kristie Campbell- Wilbur
• Caitlin Best- George Read
• Desiree Norwood-McCullough
• Alexandra Hudes- Gunning Bedford
• Paige Morris- Wallin
• Maryann Koziol-Colonial Early Education Program
• Jennie Tacchi- Leach