Hudson County- The Hudson County Board of Freeholders applaud, honor, congratulate and commend Patricia Smeyers on being honored as the Hudson County Teacher of the Year for 2018-2019.
Patricia Smeyers, a fifth grade math and social studies teacher at Clarendon School in Secaucus, was recently named the Hudson County Governor’s Teacher of the Year for the 2018-2019 school year. She was selected from a field of 50 candidates eligible for the honor. She is an inspiring educational leader who has made tremendous contributions in the field of education.
Patricia Smeyers is a Secaucus native who attended Clarendon School as a child. She has served as a teacher for over 26 years, teaching first grade at Clarendon School for the first 11 years of her career before moving to Huber Street School. She eventually returned to Clarendon School to teach sixth grade and then fifth grade again.
Patricia Smeyers is a dedicated teacher known for innovation, creativity and keen knowledge of best practices that ignite her students’ interests. Her teaching methods incorporate strategies designed to meet the needs of all learners through project based instruction. Her STEM advocacy inspired new curriculum to take root districtwide and she regularly facilitates teachers utilizing proper technology and STEM integration pedagogy.
Patricia Smeyers was responsible for bringing STEM, the collaborative study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to the Secaucus school district. She was able to start the program after seeing modules from the NASA Explorer Schools. After piloting it, she won a trip to the Mojave Desert to study with scientists for a week. She returned to Clarendon with a curriculum based on what she learned in which students are encouraged to question, design, and refine projects for real-world scenarios. For instance, she assigned a project on roller coasters and gave her students constraints on how much area they had to build on and a budget. They would then be able to use their own creativity to make it work, as long as they stayed within the parameters given.
Before entering the education field, Patricia Smeyers attended Florida State University where she began her own education as a music major, but ultimately made the decision to become a teacher. She later went to Boise State University and earned a masters degree in Educational Technology. She also received a Technology Integration Specialist Certificate and a NASA Explorer School STEM award. In addition, a district social media guide she created received the Teacher’s Guild/International Society for Technology in Education Favorite award and was highlighted at the 2018 International Society for Technology in Education Convention.
Patricia Smeyers is a member of many professional associations including The Association of Mathematics Teachers, The Technology and Engineering Educators Association, and The National Science Teacher Association. She is also a certified Google for Education Trainer.
Chairman Anthony Vainieri and the Hudson County Board of Freeholders commend, honor, applaud and congratulate Patricia Smeyers a gifted teacher who is a role model in the teaching profession. Her accomplishments are an inspiration to all who would aspire to succeed. The Board honors Patricia Smeyers on her outstanding accomplishments and on being honored as the 2018-2019 Hudson County Governor’s Teacher of the Year.
