Math teacher Lynne Ruozzi received the Paul E. Elicker award for excellence in teaching, Tuesday, May 26.

The Elicker award honored Ruozzi for “a deep appreciation and knowledge of a subject matter, teaching that stretches the mind of students, and standards for performance that inspire excellence.”

According to math department head Jennifer Letourneau, “[Ruozzi] is one of the most humble teachers that I have ever met, so when someone who has deep humility and is constantly seeking, as a teacher, to improve themselves wins an award for their excellence in teaching, for me that is the perfect prize because she’s so deserving but would never pick herself to be the person who wins.”

Ruozzi’s colleagues and students noted the effort that she puts into forming connections with her students.

“I think what makes her so special is she gets to know every single student in her class, what they’re interested in, what their extracurricular activities are,” said Letourneau.

Junior Ryan Kelley, a student in Ruozzi’s AP Statistics class, added, “She’s one of the only teachers I’ve ever had that I’ve felt comfortable with and had a relation with, and the only teacher I could ever talk to if something happened.”

According to Kelley, Ruozzi has “done a really good job of making everyone feel supported and comfortable in the class.”

“She’s always open to talk if there’s any issues,” added junior Nikita Lutskiy, a student in Ruozzi’s Math 3 class.

Ruozzi’s colleagues and students also observed her supportive teaching style.

“She offers support and encouragement but never allows a student to settle for less than what they’re capable of,” said Letourneau. “She has this perfect ability to mix empathy and care and concern and understanding with high expectations.”

According to Lutskiy, Ruozzi is someone who is willing to “give a lot of great feedback.”

Ruozzi said, “I just want students to know that the struggle is all a part of it, that working through something, finding yourself in a predicament or a challenge is a good thing.”  

According to math teacher Caroline Vuilleumier, who met Ruozzi through teaching AP Statistics, she considers Ruozzi “a work friend and a life friend.”

Vuilleumier said that she felt stressed when she learned about hybrid learning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I remember Mrs. Ruozzi in that meeting when I was having this breakdown being like ‘we got this’ and her confidence that we could do this as educators. I really needed to hear that,” she said.

Ruozzi earned her bachelor’s degree in French and mathematics at Saint Anselm College, after which she taught French and math at multiple schools in Louisiana, Illinois, and Massachusetts.

Ruozzi started teaching at North in 2012. In addition to teaching math, Ruozzi is an advisor of the Dance for Change club.