Governor Maura Healey on Wednesday named Luisa Sparrow, a teacher at the Oliver Hazard Perry Elementary School in South Boston, as the 2025 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year . “She’s dedicated to all of her students and passionate about your learning,” Healey said to a cheering crowd of students, staff, and families at the South Boston school. “She goes above and beyond to help you thrive in the classroom and out of the classroom. She reaches out and gets to know not just you guys as students, but also your families.” Sparrow, a special education teacher in the fifth and sixth grades, said she was honored to receive the award. The Perry School serves about 180 students in preschool through Grade 6. “I am really humbled to be selected and I am grateful to everyone who has been part of the process,” she said. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year program is overseen by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It honors a licensed public school teacher working in the state who exemplifies excellent teaching, makes a positive impact on student learning and well-being, and demonstrates leadership within and beyond the classroom, according to the state education department. Sparrow will spend the next year juggling full-time teaching responsibilities while also serving as “an ambassador for the teaching profession,” a role that includes speaking engagements and writing opportunities. “It is not the expectation that the Teacher of the Year speaks on behalf of all teachers,” according to the state education department’s website. “Rather, the selected educator should be willing to share their individual experiences and perspectives while also acknowledging the variety of viewpoints that exist among educators.“ The Teacher of the Year also becomes the state’s official candidate for the National Teacher of the Year program, which includes a year out of the classroom traveling across the country and internationally. Russell Johnston, acting state commissioner of elementary and secondary education , said Sparrow’s excitement for teaching and her commitment to students and families made her stand apart. “I see how much she wants you to enjoy learning, whether that’s a lesson in the classroom or cooking after the end of a school day,” he said. “She wants you to make friends because we know that when you have friends, when you are connected to each other, that learning can grow and deepen.” The ceremony drew many state and city officials, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Superintendent Mary Skipper, both of whom delivered remarks. “She is always determined to help every single one of her students get as much joy ... out of every moment possible,” Wu said. This was Sparrow’s second time in the final running for the state’s top teaching award. She also was a finalist for the 2024 Teacher of the Year, a recognition that ultimately went to De’Shawn C. Washington, a fourth grade teacher at Maria Hastings Elementary School in Lexington Public Schools.
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