Goeselt
History teacher Brian Goeselt received the Paul E. Elicker award for excellence in teaching, Thursday, May 22.
The Elicker award honored Goeselt for a deep appreciation and knowledge of subject matter, standards for performance that inspire excellence, and teaching that stretches the minds of students.
Goeselt currently teaches Modern World History and U.S. History.
“He really wants us to learn about what we’re passionate about and grow as students, and I think the freedom he gives us on assignments reflects that,” said sophomore Kassidy Marks.
Goeselt majored in history at Dartmouth College during his undergraduate studies. After graduation, he joined the U.S. military and led an infantry platoon, while stationed in West Germany.
“To do that job well, you have to be extremely organized,” Goeselt said. “It’s a lot like teaching. You have to think about what you plan and then you have to plan for what’s actually going to happen when you’re working either with soldiers or students.”
According to Marks, Goeselt selects his class materials and assignments thoughtfully, and is encouraging to all of his students.
Following his service, Goeselt attended Boston College for his Master of Business Administration (MBA) and his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).
English teacher Alicia Carrillo, who has known Goeselt since he was a student teacher in 2002, said, “Brian is an incredibly generous teacher and colleague. He will drop everything to respond to a student who comes in to ask him a question.”
History department head Gregory Drake added, “He loves history, he loves his students, and he loves to think, how do I get my students excited about history.”
Goeselt taught AP U.S. History for close to 10 years, in addition to the senior Economics elective and World History I.
Goddard
English teacher Peter Goddard received the Brenda Keegan award for excellence in teaching, Thursday, May 22.
The Keegan award honored Goddard for inspiring his students to think critically and creatively, and to consider the significance of their studies in their own lives.
“I love seeing people get more and more expansive in who they are and who they think they can be,” Goddard said.
According to English department head Melissa Dilworth, Goddard works hard to bring out the best in his students.
“He sees strengths in students that they don’t even know that they have, and helps bring that out in them,” she said.
Goddard, who majored in English at Williams College and earned his master’s degree at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University, said teaching is “a wonderful profession” and that it is “different every year.”
Carpentry teacher Garrett Tingle admires Goddard’s connection to the community. “Whenever we’re out, there’s always a student, parent, or somebody in the community that comes up to him, embraces him, and says thank you,” said Tingle. “He’s a deeply spiritual person, hopelessly flawed like the rest of us, but a great guy. I’m glad he’s my friend.”
Goddard said that his passion for teaching came from the influence of his parents. “I was brought up in a teaching household,” he said. “Both my parents were English teachers.”
Goddard began teaching at North in 1998 and currently teaches AP English Literature, Hip Hop: Its Literature, Culture, and Music, and Voices in Literature.
“He not only teaches you valuable lessons in life, he’s also caring and understanding,” said senior Jonathan Santos.
In addition to his teaching, Goddard is also involved in the North community as the JV boys’ soccer head coach.
“It has always been his passion to develop relationships with students and make sure that he champions all students, meets them where they are, and celebrates the unique things that they bring to Newton North,” said Dilworth.
Cho
History teacher Albert Cho received the Charles Dana Meserve Teacher of the Year Award, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
According to Meserve Award winner Clara Lake ’23, who nominated Cho, he teaches his classes “with an incredible passion” and shows “creativity and appreciation” for history.
“Mr. Cho has been here almost longer than anyone in the department and yet he is always taking on new courses,” said history department head, Gregory Drake. “He has taught almost every course in our entire department, and his intellectual curiosity is like nothing I have ever seen before.”
According to Principal Henry Turner, the Charles Dana Meserve Teacher of the Year Aw[ard is determined through a two-step process. First, a graduating senior receives the Charles Dana Meserve Award and nominates teachers they believe have made a significant impact. Next, the Charles Dana Meserve Award Board of Trustees selects one final teacher.
Cho earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s in education from Tufts University. He began his teaching career at North in 1998 and currently teaches senior history electives, AP European History, and AP Psychology.
Cho attributes his many years of teaching to his bonds with students.
“You’re never doing the same thing, and you’re always surprised by student interactions,” Cho said. “It’s never boring.”
History teacher Brian Goeselt, who has worked alongside Cho for the past 22 years, described him as a creative educator and one of the people he consistently reaches out to for teaching advice.
“He is an extremely curious person and is always willing to take on teaching a new subject,” Goeselt said.
