A math teacher in Manassas Park City has been named one of the commonwealth’s top teachers.
Darnell Greene, who teaches eighth grade math at Manassas Park Middle School, was named the regional teacher of the year by the Virginia Department of Education for Region 4. He’s one of eight regional winners, one of whom will be named teacher of the year for 2025 later in the spring, the education department said in a statement.
Greene has been a teacher for more than 21 years, and was the teacher of the year in his school and the Manassas Park City school system this year, the department said. He has also been on the coaching staffs of the boys’ and girls’ basketball and track teams.
He wanted to be a teacher from a young age, the department said, and was influenced by a high school football coach who asked him whether “he wanted to make a positive difference in the world.”
In his teaching process, the department said, Greene shares “his stories and experiences” to make “meaningful connections with students, parents, and his peers every day.” He’s been a Mentor Teacher since 2015.
“Mr. Greene challenges middle school math students every day by giving them real-world math problems, mentors students as a track coach, and has mentored many new teachers in Manassas Park,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said at the surprise ceremony at the school last week. “I am honored I could come celebrate Mr. Greene with the leaders, colleagues, and students in Manassas Park, as well as recognize him with this well-deserved award.”
“Mr. Greene is an exemplary educator who has dedicated his life’s work to teaching,” Principal Kip Gansneder Tuttle said in the statement. “He possesses an innate ability to inspire and guide students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve their very best.”
In Spotsylvania County, Beth Marshall, a French teacher at Riverbend High School, has been named regional teacher of the year for Region 3.
In other education news, Eva Irwin, an English teacher at Alexandria’s Alexandria City High School, received the Milken Educator Award in March. It’s an award that recognizes the impact teachers have had on children while in the early to mid-stages of their careers. The award came with an unrestricted $25,000 cash award.
Featured image courtesy Virginia Department of Education/Facebook
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