Vermont’s 2025 Teacher of the Year teaches in Winooski, lives in Moretown
Ocotber 8, 2024 | By Waterbury Roundabout Vermont’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver who teaches at Winooski High School and lives in Moretown.
Moretown resident and Winooski High School teacher Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver. Courtesy photo
The Vermont Agency of Education recently announced the selection and MacLeod-Bluver officially begins her role on Jan. 1.
Also recognized by the state agency are the finalists Jeremy DeMink of Edmunds Middle School in Burlington and Sonya Shedd of Wolcott Elementary School.
MacLeod-Bluver has been teaching for 14 years, the past six at Winooski High School. “As a history teacher, English teacher, and reading specialist, she creates powerful, culturally responsive learning environments where students feel respected, valued, and encouraged to embrace their full identities,” the agency’s announcement states.
Interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders said MacLeod-Bluver is an exceptional educator and leader in her field, citing her “ability to inspire, challenge, and uplift her students.”
“We are proud to honor her, and we look forward to the impact she will continue to have on Vermont's students and educators,” Saunders said.
Prior to teaching in Vermont, MacLeod-Bluver taught in Juneau, Alaska, and in Boston where she worked with refugee and immigrant students. She continues to draw on that experience today where learning in Winooski is multilingual, the state announcement explains. “She designs curriculum that reflects her students’ diverse backgrounds through history lessons focused on the countries many of Winooski students call home and English lessons featuring authors of color,” it states.
Winooski Co-Principal Jean Berthiaume said that dedicated approach makes MacLeod-Bluver stand out. “Her genuine care for students, coupled with her profound knowledge of best practices and the critical importance of literacy, makes her a remarkable educator and a true asset to her community,” Berthiaume said.
Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria agreed. “Caitlin embodies the best of our Winooski schools and, by extension, the best of the state of Vermont,” he said.
MacLeod-Bluver also is an instructional coach and part-time lecturer at the University of Vermont. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University and a Master of Education from UMass Boston.
The Vermont Agency of Education since 1964 has recognized outstanding Vermont teachers with the Vermont Teacher of the Year award. As the 2025 Vermont Teacher of the Year, MacLeod-Bluver will serve as an advocate for the teaching profession, education and students and will represent the state at the National Teacher of the Year program in Washington, D.C., next spring.
MacLeod-Bluver will be honored at the University of Vermont’s Outstanding Teacher Day on Nov. 7 at UVM. The event recognizes educators from each Vermont supervisory union and school district, which nominate one teacher each at the elementary or middle school level, the secondary level, and the technical center level. The list of those teachers to be honored has not yet been announced.