Eighth Grade ELA teacher Lori Zucker of Forrestdale School, and First Grade teacher Holly Nixon of Deane-Porter School were recently named Teachers of the Year by the Rumson Board of Education.

Press release from Rumson School District

At its April 29 meeting held at Forrestdale School, the Rumson Board of Education honored Holly Nixon and Lori Zucker as its “Teachers of the Year” for 2015. The two educators received accolades from the Board and members of the administration, with family, friends, and colleagues in attendance.

A First Grade teacher at Deane-Porter School, Nixon has taught at both Deane-Porter (Pre-K to Third grades) and Forrestdale (Fourth through Eighth grades) Schools during her 14 years with the Rumson School District. She received her undergraduate degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attained her M. Ed. from Kean University in Union, New Jersey. A mother of four children — all of whom attended grade school in the district — she has been a resident of Rumson for the past 22 years.

An eighth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, Zucker is a 10-year member of the Forrestdale School faculty. She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and her M. Ed. from Teachers College/Columbia University in New York City. She began her teaching career at John Adams Elementary School in North Brunswick, New Jersey, and spent 10 years working in educational publishing before returning to the classroom. She lives in Oakhurst with her husband, two children, nephew and dog.

In thanking the Board for the honor, Nixon stated that “My goal is to bring excitement, curiosity, and enthusiasm to my classroom, and to foster an environment in which students have a joy in learning. I am dedicated to giving my students an innovative education while above all helping to ensure their well-being, success, and growth.”

“I believe that teaching is one of the most fulfilling professions, and teaching at Forrestdale is a privilege and a pleasure,” said Zucker. “I love coming to work every day.”

Board President Colleen O’ Connor joined Deane-Porter School Principal Shari Feeney and Forrestdale School Assistant Principal Amy Romano in paying tribute to the borough’s Teachers of the Year. Also presented at the meeting were a collection of video tributes assembled for the occasion, in which students and colleagues described Nixon and Zucker as, among other things, “kind,” “caring,” “warm-hearted” and “joyful.”

Rumson Board of Education members are Maura Beyer, Russell Binns, John Connors, Charles H. Jones III, Diane MacGillis, Elaine Melia, Colleen O’Connor (President), Margaret Kaminski Simons (Vice President), and Kim Swain.