Salerno named Lafayette Teacher of the Year

Kelly Salerno, a middle school language arts teacher, has been named the Lafayette Township School District teacher of the year for the 2020-21 school year.

Salerno has been credit as one of the key teachers in helping Lafayette students get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mrs. Kelly Salerno is a compassionate and dedicated educator who works tirelessly to empower all students to become conscientious, articulate members of a classroom community,” Superintendent Jennifer Cenatiempo said. “Mrs. Salerno demonstrates attention to detail in the planning and systematic design of instruction which creates a scaffold for students to rely on as they develop skills and high levels of growth as readers, writers, and thinkers.”

Salerno has been teaching for 23 years, with most of that time spent at Lafayette.

“In my teaching career I have been inspired to instill a love of learning in my students,” Salerno said. “One of my favorite quotes is by William Butler Yeats: Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Salerno said it’s her hope to ignite that fire in each of her students. Salerno said that as a middle school language arts teacher in a small district, she has the opportunity to watch her progress over three years, as the middle school teachers loop with the students.

“It is a privilege to watch them develop as writers and to mature into young adults,” Salerno said.

Salerno said she is passionate about global education and serves as a teacher ambassador for the free online curriculum, Rock Your World. “Rock Your World” inspires global citizenship while teaching 21st century skills.

“My students are exposed to global issues as we research food insecurity, access to clean water, refugees, access to education, and many other topics,” Salerno said. “My goal is for my students to realize their communication skills, both written and spoken, can be their voice for change.”