Prep Talk
Mrs. McHugh NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year!
Posted October 13th, 2015
We’re excited to announce that a press release was just issued by the New Jersey Catholic Conference naming Ms. Nancy McHugh as a co-winner of the New Jersey Nonpublic School Teach of the Year Award! Here’s some information about Ms. McHugh and the award from the release:
Ms. McHugh has spent 11 years in education, all of them at Saint Augustine’s Prep, and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Business Administration and Finance, both from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Ms. McHugh has taught a variety of science subjects at Saint Augustine including Chemistry, Honors Chemistry I and II, and Environmental Science, the latter two of which she personally introduced into the school. She also has taught summer enrichment programs, study skills and classroom management to both students and teachers. She maintains membership in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS), the American Chemical Society and the Simple K-12 Teacher Learning Community.
Ms. McHugh has been a volunteer for Cumberland County Habitat for Humanity, a meet official for the Tri-County Swimming Association, and a participant in the Vineland Rotary Project Green Atlantic City Beach Clean-up. She has worked with the Vineland School District Holiday Party for Special Needs Students and as a fundraising coordinator involved in “Pennies for Patients” (sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and the Canuso Foundation program “Babes in Dodgeball.”
She uses the metaphor of a bridge in describing her philosophy of education. She attempts to determine student needs and then builds a bridge to that student to create a partnership, thus infusing brain-based learning and 21st century skill development into her lessons.
The Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Award is conducted under the auspices of the New Jersey Council for American Private Education (NJ CAPE). Each member of NJ CAPE, which represents all major nonpublic school constituencies in New Jersey, is invited to submit a nominee for the award. That nominee has already competed within the organization’s schools to achieve finalist status. Additionally, individual schools with no representation on NJ CAPE are invited to nominate members of their own staff. The award is significant because almost one out of every eight students in New Jersey is educated in a nonpublic school, a significantly higher percentage than the nation as a whole.
Congratulations to Ms. McHugh! Her hard work and dedication to students at the Prep is very much appreciated, and this award is truly well-deserved. 