Desirée Garcia, a kindergarten teacher at German Gerena Community School in Springfield, is Massachusetts' 2027 Teacher of the Year, state officials announced Oct. 29.
Garcia teaches the English portion of the school's Spanish-English dual-language kindergarten program. Her partner teacher, Sol Ivette Santiago, teaches in Spanish, allowing students to develop reading and other early academic skills in both languages.
The state selected Garcia from 347 nominations. Seven semifinalists submitted additional material, and four finalists were interviewed before Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez made the final selection.
Garcia is in her 11th year of teaching and fourth in a dual-language program. She is the third Springfield Public Schools educator to receive the state award, according to the announcement.
As the state's honoree, she will represent Massachusetts in the National Teacher of the Year program and take part in speaking and professional events. Award sponsor Wellpoint will provide a $10,000 grant to German Gerena and $5,000 to each of the other finalists' schools.