Northern educator named Teacher of the Year
May 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Fred Williams, Executive Director
Teacher Recruitment and Retention, 560-2298
DURHAM – A former professional basketball player and investment banker who wound up following in his parents’ footsteps to become an educator is the Durham Public Schools 2009-10 Teacher of the Year.
Matthew Hunt, a math teacher at Northern High School, received the honor on May 6 at the annual Teacher of the Year banquet, held at Croasdaile Country Club.
Hunt has taught Algebra, Algebra 2 and AP Statistics, in Grades 9-12 at Northern for four years. He is a graduate of Williams College, holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, and is working on a master’s degree in science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Building trust and relationships is paramount in sparking motivation in struggling students,” stated Hunt in his application portfolio. “We work together as a class to understand and celebrate one another’s differences and treat each other with respect. I attempt to build student confidence and convey to them that I believe and expect that they will achieve academic success.”
Hunt played professional basketball in Europe and spent four years as an investment banker before deciding to make a difference as an educator. His father was a principal and his mother was a Head Start teacher. Their fulfillment in the profession led him to Harvard’s Teacher Education Program.
“Matt Hunt is a model teacher who defines excellence each and every day,” said Superintendent Carl Harris. “He serves as a great inspiration to his students as well as their parents and his colleagues. We know that he will represent us well at the regional and state levels!”
Sponsors of the Teacher of the Year Banquet included SunTrust Bank, Merck, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Duke University, BlueCross BlueShield, Measurement Incorporated and Square One Marketing.
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