TA News

Each fall the UVM College of Education and the Vermont Agency of Education team up to honor and celebrate outstanding educators throughout the state who have been nominated by their schools and supervisory unions. Congratulations to Stacy Barton, Thetford Academy’s pick for the 2025 Vermont Outstanding Educator Award!

Stacy has been teaching middle school and high school social studies at Thetford Academy since 2010. During that time, she has had an incredible impact on a generation of students, many of whom take more than one class with her during their time at TA. Stacy engages students in the meaty, meaningful, and rigorous study of history and culture through primary source documents, discussions, maps, scholarly articles, independent research assignments, and rich writing prompts.

As a core seventh grade teacher and advisor throughout her years at Thetford Academy, Stacy has played an essential role in welcoming and orienting our youngest students as they cross the threshold from elementary to secondary school. She pairs her high expectations for middle schoolers with an inclusive and supportive classroom environment that helps everyone succeed and find their footing at a new academic level. 

In addition to being an incredibly dedicated teacher and advisor in the classroom, Stacy extends herself by taking on other leadership roles in the school community. She heads up Founders’ Day organizing every winter, serves as a negotiator for the education association, and has taken on a variety of coaching positions over the years. Currently, Stacy is the middle school soccer coach, a position that brings her much energy and joy – and is especially close to her heart as both a middle school mom and a TA alum. 

Head of School Carrie Brennan shared her reflections on the nomination: “Earlier this school year, I was talking with a middle school parent who was sharing informally with me some of his child’s highlights of his TA experience. ‘Bottom line,’ he said, ‘Stacy Barton is amazing.’ I was struck by the familiarity of this sentiment and realized I had heard it many times before. This very specific adjective – amazing! – is used to describe Stacy again and again by parents, students, and colleagues.”

Stacy will be recognized at the 45th annual Outstanding Educator Awards celebration on October 27 at the University of Vermont. Congratulations, Stacy, and thank you for your awesome work everyday with students – in the classroom, with advisory, on the soccer field, and just about everywhere around campus!

Photo: Stacy Barton with 7th grade students at the all-school Thanksgiving meal in November 2022.