Celebrating Those Who Inspire: New Teacher Award Honors Excellence

On March 6, Student Council President Ripley Chance sent an all-school email inviting students to nominate teachers who demonstrate intellectual inspiration, student advocacy, professionalism and community impact. The award is “a chance to highlight the amazing adults we have in our community,” said Geoff Nelson, Dean of Faculty. 

The award carries deeper significance in the Hopkins community than simply recognizing one teacher each year. Isha Bhatnagar ’29 said it is a “much needed award” to show that teachers are “recognized and what they’re doing is right.” Nelson said that “there are a lot of ways to define great teaching, but ultimately the students are the arbiters of whether that great teaching is made manifest in your lives.” He explained that “intellectual curiosity and wonder” are things students “carry through their whole lives.”

The criteria for the award were designed to align “with Hopkins history” and reflect the school's 1660 motto, “for the breeding up of hopeful youths.” Nelson added that the award should recognize teaching that impacts students for “more than just that one year.” He said recipients should “help students to learn to speak in their own voice, look for what they’re passionate about, reflect on their own learning journey, and turn themselves into the best possible version of themselves.” The award represents more than a singular recognition; it serves as a way to honor teachers who have made a lasting impact and help students grow.

The selection committee will include two student representatives from each grade, with the exception of four senior representatives, as well as two members of Maroon Key and two members of the Diversity Board. Toby Huang ’28, a grade 10 representative on the committee, said he is “excited about being on the committee because a lot of teachers are underappreciated.” 

Teachers say that recognition, especially from students, is meaningful. History teacher Daniel Levy said that “at Hopkins, the expectation is that teachers will be passionate and inspiring, which is great, but it also means sometimes that teachers are taken for granted.” He added that it “personally means a lot to me when I receive thank you notes at the end of the year” because it can be “hard to know if what you’re doing is having an impact.” Levy believes that “this award would really allow a teacher to see the positive effect they’ve had.”

Overall, student feedback has been positive. Emi Onorato ’28 said students don't "feel much pressure to nominate," and Bhatnagar said the award is a great way to let “teachers everywhere know that they’re recognized.” Others raised concerns about how the “best” teachers will be chosen. Kaya Heeger ’29 said “different teachers are matches for different people, so you can’t choose the best teacher objectively.” Elizabeth Lang ’29 noted that “some teachers who don’t teach a lot of classes won’t have as great an opportunity.”

One of the head coordinators of this award, Ripley Chance ’26, emphasized that it was designed to “recognize teachers that are passionate about their subject and can spread that enthusiasm to their students,” as well as those “that are dedicated to creating a supportive environment.”

Chance also said the award will give students a chance to reflect on the role teachers play in their daily lives: “There’s obviously a lot of prizes and awards for students already. But I think that we don’t understand how incredible some of our teachers are”

According to Chance, Head of School Matt Glendinning and Nelson both support this becoming “a decade-, multi-decade-long thing.” 

In Nelson's words, the Student Council Award for Excellence in Teaching reflects the “bridge between an amazing student body who really knows what great teaching is and an amazing faculty who really aspires to the best of our field.”