CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education on Thursday named Clay County teacher Melissa Matz as Florida’s 2023 “Teacher of the Year.”
According to a news release from Clay County District Schools, Matz is the Pre-AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) math teacher for seventh-graders at Lakeside Junior High School, and she was selected as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education.
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She started her teaching career in Clay County District Schools in 2003, mentors new teachers, is the department head for mathematics and she’s on the district-level math adoption committee.
She also serves as a mentor each year to students that she does not directly teach through the Lakeside Ladies program, the district said.
“She is a teacher that values relationship building and works hard to establish positive relationships with all of her students and their families,” the news release states.
“Ms. Matz embodies everything that you could ask for in a teacher,” Superintendent David Broskie said in a prepared statement. “She has high expectations of herself as an educator and for her students as she is devoted to making math content obtainable for all. I cannot think of a better educator to represent the profession of education in our state and I know she will continue to serve this next year with enthusiasm and excellence as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education.”