North Hills Middle School teacher named Pennsylvania's 2020 Teacher of the Year

NORTH HILLS, Pa. — A North Hills Middle School eighth grade social studies teacher has been named the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

Joe Welch was chosen from 12 finalists and announced as the winner Monday following a luncheon at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey.

"We're thrilled to have the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year working alongside our students," said North Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino. "This is an amazing accomplishment for Joe and we thank him for representing our district with pride and for all he does for our students."

"Joe Welch is a dynamic educator and model for everyone in our school and in our district," said North Hills Middle School Principal David Lieberman. "We are honored to have him as one of our faculty members."

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Welch was honored as the American Middle Level Association's Educator of the Year in November. In October, he received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies. He was also the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's National History Teacher of the Year in 2018 and the PBS Digital Innovator for Pennsylvania in 2016.

Welch will now service as an advocate at the state level for all of Pennsylvania's public education teachers.

A schoolwide celebration is planned for Thursday to welcome Welch back to the North Hills Middle School.

Cox Media Group