Karen McCalla ‘96 has been named Vermont’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. McCalla, who earned her bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Castleton, has spent nearly 20 years as a librarian and technology integration specialist at Mill River Union High School in nearby Clarendon, Vermont.
In addition to her duties as librarian, McCalla also oversees Mill River’s library makerspace. In her free time, McCalla also coaches robotics for elementary, middle, and high school students, and serves as executive director and coordinator of member services and education at The MINT: Rutland’s Makerspace – a collaborative workshop and learning space, complete with shared tools and equipment for people and entrepreneurs who like to make things.
McCalla earned her master’s degree in Library and Information Science as a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fellow.
“Karen McCalla’s advocacy for STEAM education for all students is timely and important. The STEAM focus on technical skills and a creative mindset provides lifelong benefits for our students, in their careers and everyday lives,” said Vermont Secretary of Education Dan French.
The Vermont Teacher of the Year award was established in 1964 by the Vermont Agency of Education to promote the teaching profession and recognize educators who are modeling exemplary teaching practice in Vermont’s K-12 schools. McCalla will be Vermont’s delegate in the upcoming national Teacher of the Year program, where she will compete for the national Teacher of the Year award, usually held in Washington, D.C.