Harwood names its top teacher nominees for 2024
October 23, 2024 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Waitsfield Elementary School librarian Eric Mongeon. Courtesy photo
Harwood Union High School math teacher Tara Kelley. Courtesy photo
Ahead of the annual ceremony to recognize top educators across Vermont, Harwood Unified Union School District has shared its two nominees.
The district has chosen to highlight Waitsfield Elementary School librarian Eric Mongeon and Harwood Union High School math teacher Tara Kelley.
Each year the University of Vermont’s College of Education and Social Services along with the Vermont Agency of Education recognize the accomplishments of licensed teachers across the state at an annual ceremony and banquet. School districts, supervisory unions and independent schools in Vermont participate by nominating teachers – one each at the elementary and middle school level, secondary level, and technical center level – as exemplifying the ideals of the teaching profession.
Below are the comments Harwood shared in making this year’s nominations. District administrators congratulated Mongeon and Kelley who they said are “outstanding educators who are representative of the dozens of hard-working teachers” across the school district.
Eric Mongeon | Waitsfield Elementary School
While Eric’s official title is librarian/technology integrationist, his unofficial descriptor is the person who supports everyone, staff and students alike, in pretty much everything. Need a measured, reflective and problem-solving oriented opinion? Someone to de-escalate a struggling student? Ideas for how to improve a unit of study? Eric’s combination of calm, integrity, professional insight and humor, in addition to his great skills in the areas in his actual job description, make him an outstanding educator.
Eric has served on the Waitsfield leadership team for many years; he can be counted on to always maintain perspective on the bigger picture and find a positive way forward. As a librarian, Eric is a stupendous resource for all, helping students to find the just right book or resource. Anyone passing the library during the read-aloud portion of library time will know that Eric’s greatest skill, however, is bringing a story to life. He is truly the master librarian and we are deeply appreciative of his skills.
Eric Mongeon is an extraordinary teacher. He inspires students, maintains high expectations for himself and his students, and is truly a “students first” educator.
Tara Kelley | Harwood Union High School
Tara Kelley is a true master at teaching mathematics to high schoolers. She works hard to build strong connections with her students and goes out of her way to learn their strengths to best support them with their learning. She continually looks for ways to make learning fun by designing interactive, relevant experiences for her students. Tara is incredibly organized and is always looking for ways to support her students and provide assistance to her teaching colleagues. She is passionate about personal finance and her class comes highly recommended by students. She is also an integral part of the aspirations team and is passionate about their work for students.
Tara consistently pushes herself to be the best she can be for her students. Whether it is adjusting lessons to meet the interests of her students, or staying late to ensure that each student receives quality and authentic feedback on their assessments, Tara's actions are an inspiration to her fellow educators.
Tara Kelley is a model high school teacher. She is approachable to all students, encourages critical thinking skills among her students, and is an educator who holds all of her students to high standards of excellence.
The 44th UVM Outstanding Educator Awards event will take place on Nov. 7. The organizers have already announced the 2025 Vermont Teacher of the Year honor which will go to Winooski High School teacher Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, a resident of Moretown. Read that story here.