Alumni Matthew Perkins Receives Superintendent’s New Teacher Award in Orange, NJ

The Newark Montclair Urban Teacher Residency (NMUTR) is proud to recognize Cohort 4/June 2013 graduate Matthew Perkins.  Matt recently started his second year of teaching as an Algebra teacher at Orange High School in the public schools of Orange, New Jersey.  On the first day of school in Orange it is the tradition that all district staff start the day by attending the “Superintendent’s Convocation.”  During this gathering, on Tuesday, September 8^th, 2015, district Superintendent Ronald Lee awarded a small number of faculty and staff the “Superintendent’s Recognition Award.”  Matt Perkins was one of the recipients of this distinguished recognition.

Matt embodies the promise of the Newark Montclair Urban Teacher Residency (NMUTR) to bring high quality, transformational STEM teachers to the schools and classrooms of New Jersey’s high need districts.  In his first year of teaching in the Orange Public Schools, during the 2014-2015 school year, Matt was consistently recognized by district and school administrators for creating an Algebra classroom that stimulated and encouraged student engagement through inquiry and authentic learning scenarios that related to the lives of his students.  Matt’s dynamic instructional practice led to increased student achievement which earned Matt the final evaluation rating of “Highly Effective.”  It should be noted that it is unusual for a teacher to attain this top level of rating during their first year in the classroom.  Matt is quick to state that…”I wouldn’t be the teacher I am without this (NMUTR) program.”

Matt came to the NMUTR directly following his May 2013 undergraduate graduation from Montclair State University as a major in Mathematics with a minor in Sociology.  He heard about the NMUTR’s innovative teacher preparation program when he attended a Graduate School Info session during his senior year.  During the admissions process Matt shared that he wanted to be in the NMUTR because it would draw on his two passions:  mathematics and his interest in working in an urban setting.  Matt comes from a large, close-knit family where he was always encouraged to pursue activities that developed his interests and simultaneously served others.  A prominent illustration of this is Matt’s attainment of the rank, “Eagle Scout” during his senior year of high school.  Additionally, Matt has been active on “Extreme Frisbee” sports teams since middle school; he has mentored youth and teens by starting “Extreme Frisbee” sports teams in his community as well at Orange High School.  Matt contends that a strong connection with his students leads to a strong and important connection in the classroom.