ALBANY, N.Y. Sept. 12, 2017 — New York State United Teachers today celebrated the selection of Chris Albrecht, a fourth-grade teacher in the Brockport Central School District, as the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year.
“We have more than 200,000 fantastic teachers in our state. They are highly skilled professionals who put the interests of children and their public schools first and foremost every single day of the year,” said NYSUT President Andrew Pallotta. “Still, Chris Albrecht stands out. He is the perfect standard-bearer for the dedication, passion and excellence in teaching that is found throughout New York’s public education system.”
Albrecht has been teaching at the Fred W. Hill School in Brockport since 1998. He is very active in his school and in the greater Brockport community. He has mentored first-year teachers; led professional development opportunities; helped to write curriculum; and served as a yearbook advisor, announcer and coach for girls’ high school soccer and baseball.
Around Brockport, Albrecht is co-founder of Team Jomar, an after-school running team that pairs students with athletes with cerebral palsy; is on the Board of Trustees for YMCA Camp Cory; and is a “Hill for Hope” Relay for Life team member. Albrecht is also active in his church.
NYSUT also saluted the 2018 finalists: Rosa Ismail, an elementary teacher at Fort Salonga Elementary, Kings Park Central School District; Christina Pawlowski, a math teacher at Commack High School, Commack Union Free School District; Mary Howard, a sixth-grade teacher at Veronica E. Connor Middle School, Grand Island Central School District; and Brian Sztabnik, an English teacher at Miller Place High School, Miller Place Union Free School District.
Albrecht, a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and Clarion University who has also earned 30 credits in educational administration at SUNY Brockport, succeeds Amy Hysick, a science teacher at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, the 2017 New York State Teacher of the Year.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.