FLENJ Teacher of the Year Archive
Each year, FLENJ identifies an exemplary world language teacher who personifies and promotes the best in our profession. The FLENJ Teacher of the year is honored at the Annual Conference in the Spring and competes on the regional level the following winter at the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL). That winner then competes to become the ACTFL Teacher of the Year at the national level.
Current FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2024 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Amy Bernard-Mason
Ridgewood Public Schools
Previous Teacher of the Year Award Recipients
2023 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Yanci Merkel
Freehold Regional High School District
2022 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Melissa Sarracino
Summit Public Schools
2021 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Elena Spathis
Pascack Valley Regional High School District
2020 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2021 NECTFL Teacher of the Year
Ashley Warren, EdD
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
2019 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Kristine Keefe
John P. Stevens High School – Public Schools of Edison Township
2018 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Frank A. Campione, JD
Nottingham High School – Hamilton, New Jersey
2017 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2017 NECTFL Teacher of the Year
Caleb Howard
Dr. William Mennies Elementary School
2016 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Michael Kowalczyk
Bishop George Ahr High School – Edison, NJ
2015 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Dana Pilla
Haddonfield Middle School – Haddonfield, NJ
2012 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2012 NECTFL Teacher of the Year
Lucy Lee
Livingston High School – Livingston, NJ
2010 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2010 NECTFL Teacher of the Year
Maryann Wood-Murphy
Northern Highlands Regional HS – Allendale, NJ
2007 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
2007 NECTFL Teacher of the Year
2008 ACTFL Teacher of the Year
Janet Glass
Dwight-Englewood School – Englewood, NJ
2005 FLENJ Teacher of the Year
Stephanie Appel
Fair Lawn Public School District
