Vernon Center Middle School math teacher Jennifer Roggi, who is Vernon’s 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year, has again been recognized for her skills as a teacher and devotion to serving students and colleagues.
Roggi received the Charlene Tate Nichols award from the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC) on Monday at the organization’s annual conference.
The award recognizes commitment to students; being a mentor to teachers; helping build students’ numerical fluency, problem solving, creativity, reasoning and love of math; and working with colleagues to improve math skills for their own students as well as students in their school and district.
Roggi had no idea she’d been nominated for the award and was “shocked and flattered” to be the recipient. “Everybody hopes to make a difference in their job and what they do,” she said.
Megan Staples, an associate professor in UConn’s Neag School of Education, said Roggi does make a difference and consistently goes above and beyond for her students and the wider school community.
“I’ve not known another teacher who is such a creative problem solver when it comes to challenges in mathematics education,” she said. “She is constantly learning - reading, connecting with people, collaborating, reflecting, experimenting. And her efforts pay off.”
“She is committed to her classroom while always looking to improve the systems that organize math education - whether at the school, district or state level,” Staples continued. “She is always working toward support students in developing critical math skills and positive math identities, so they will continue to grow and use math in ways that empower them in their lives.”
In Vernon, Roggi’s value as a teacher and her commitment to students are no secret. That’s why she was recommended nearly five years ago for the Connecticut Noyce Math Teacher Leaders Program at the Neag School at UConn. The program brings math teachers from Connecticut’s Alliance Districts together to help them improve and make them leaders while also strengthening math education for all students.
Vernon Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph P. Macary said Roggi works incredibly hard for her students and colleagues. “She expects excellence from her students and has developed strategies to help students reach those expectations and beyond,” Dr. Macary said. “She is also a mentor to her fellow teachers, which enables her to influence what is happening in other classrooms and other subject areas. She exemplifies the Vernon teacher.”
To see Roggi interacting with her students is to understand why she is successful, Vernon Center Middle School Principal Melissa Luke said.
“When you walk into her classroom, the excitement is contagious,” Luke said. “Students are up and talking about math, working through problems, and challenging each other as they look to find answers. She leads her colleagues to continuously grow professionally and challenge their students in the same way. We are very lucky to have her and she is the most deserving of this award.”
The Charlene Tate Nichols award is named for a long-time math teacher in New Britain who went on to work for the state Department of Education as a mathematics education consultant.