Teacher of the Year

 Teacher of the Year 2024

Louis DeFichy

 

The Westport Public Schools proudly announces the naming of Westport’s 2024 Teacher of the Year - Louis “Lou” DeFichy. Mr. DeFichy is currently a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Bedford Middle School (BMS), and was unanimously chosen for this honor by a selection committee made up of his peers from across the district.

Lou DeFichy has successfully served as a middle school social studies teacher at BMS since January 2011. Over the course of his tenure in Westport, he has made a positive impact on the lives of countless students, families and colleagues. From his approach to teaching, which focuses on authentic real-world experiences for students, to his role as a Team Leader for his colleagues, Mr. DeFichy devotes all his efforts to making everyone feel valued and appreciated for their efforts.

Mr. DeFichy’s positive impact on the lives of others extended far beyond the walls of BMS this past year. He worked with students and families to facilitate a Walk for Water fundraiser that benefited villages in South Sudan. Specifically, the goal was to raise $8,000 which would serve to support hygiene training, hand-held well pumps, and a year’s supply of water for 72 families. The fundraiser was a huge success and exceeded its goal for a total of over $10,000 in donations. As one of Mr. DeFichy’s colleagues shared, his students gained a tremendous understanding of the water plight Sudanese citizens face.

Having been raised by two teachers, becoming an educator was something Mr. DeFichy assumed would happen. Yet he never took for granted what makes a teacher successful. In reflecting on the factors that influenced him to become a teacher, Mr. DeFichy wrote, “I wanted to be a teacher whose students felt excited to show up to class because they knew the person in that room cared about them as a person, not just as a grade.” In reflecting on what makes an outstanding teacher, he wrote, “So, to me, teaching is about knowing your students just as much as knowing your content.” Connecting with his students is what makes Lou DeFichy an incredible teacher and why he is the perfect educator to serve as Westport’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

 

For more information on the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Program, please visit The CT Department of Education.