KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 10, 2024 – Four R.I. State Teachers of The Year will share their insights and experiences with issues and challenges of teaching in today’s educational settings, and what brings them joy in the classroom, in a panel discussion hosted by the University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein College of Education, on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the URI Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences Room 100.

The panel, Excellence in Education: Insights from R.I. Teachers of the Year, will be moderated by Danielle Dennis, dean of the Feinstein College, and will include:

Aimée Couto ’96, 2024 Teacher of the Year
K-5 instructional coach, East Providence Schools

Lisa Leaheey, 2023 Teacher of the Year
English teacher, North Providence High School

Lisa Garcia, 2022 Teacher of the Year
Math teacher/department head, North Kingstown High School. 

Ashley Adamson ’05, 2021 Teacher of the Year
Third grade teacher, Sowams Elementary School in Barrington

“We can all name a teacher that changed our life for the better, and that is why we take the time to recognize the incredible work that they do every day,” said Dennis. 

The idea for the panel discussion came from the panelists themselves, Dennis said, when they approached her, asking how to support URI education majors and share insights with the community.

The discussion will focus on how the profession has changed since the panelists first started teaching, what they recommend for new teachers, and how families can be partners in education.

“How fortunate are we to have this partnership with the Rhode Island Teachers of the Year?” said Dennis. 

The Teacher of the Year Award Program was initiated in 1952 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to bring recognition to the importance of teachers as nurturers of the “American Dream.” His intention was to honor all teachers by the selection of a representative teacher from each state, who would compete in the yearly choice of a National Teacher of the Year.