Lisa Maratto, a distinguished educator from Toms River High School East, has been honored with the “Teacher Who Rocks” award by local radio stations 95.9 WRAT-FM and 100.1 WJRZ-FM. This prestigious recognition highlights her exceptional contributions to education and her impact on students.

Nominated by Principal Erin Anders, Marotto has dedicated 40 years to the field of education, with the last 23 years at Toms River East. Known for holding her students to the highest standards, Marotto’s dedication extends beyond the classroom through her involvement in school plays and the photography club, and her commitment to enhancing school culture with her visually appealing bulletin boards and weekly calendars. As she prepares to retire this June, Marotto’s legacy includes not only the mastery of her subject matter but also her adaptability to new technologies during the pandemic, making a lasting impact on her students and colleagues alike.

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It’s been quite a year for East Orange social studies teacher Theresa Maughan.

Last year, she was named New Jersey’s 2021-2022 State Teacher of the Year. Now, she is receiving one of teaching’s highest national honors.

Maughan, who teaches high school social studies at East Orange STEM Academy, and will be one of five educators from across the country receiving the 2023 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence from the NEA Foundation, a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C.

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TOMS RIVER, NJ — Set one foot inside Christine Girtain’s classroom and one thing is certain: this is not your average science class.

Girtain, who leads the authentic science research program at Toms River High Schools North and South, has guided student projects that have covered a range of topics,

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ISLAND HEIGHTS – Toms River’s Erin Calicchio was an active 37-year-old wife, mom and high school teacher when she woke up on March 3, 2020.

By afternoon, that life was hold as she lay in an ICU hospital bed at Community Medical Center, a brain stem stroke, believed to be the result of an earlier bout with COVID-19, having left her right side paralyzed and her speech impaired.

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Educator shortages leading up to the start of the academic year aren’t rare for New Jersey school districts, particularly the larger ones.

But the coronavirus pandemic may be making these teacher shortfalls even greater as the start of the 2021-2022 school year approaches.

“On the one end, we’re not refilling the pool of candidates, and on the other end, we have those people that are deciding, ‘I’ve had enough,'” said Todd Lawrence, owner of NJSchoolJobs.com. “Maybe COVID sped that process up for people.”

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