Teachers of Year in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean Co’s

Twenty-one educators received recognition for their excellent work Tuesday when the state Department of Education announced the 2024-25 New Jersey County Teachers of the Year.

The teachers were named during an awards ceremony at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. The 21 recipients of the county honors are now eligible for the New Jersey Teacher of the Year award.

Here's a look at the winning teachers in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Ocean counties.

Atlantic County- Carly Broomhead, Emma C. Attales Middle School, Absecon

Carly Broomhead has been a teacher of Visual Arts in the Absecon School District since 1997.

Carly has served as the advisor for the Yearbook, set construction for the drama department, and assistant coach for the Think Day team.

In Carly’s classroom, she focuses on the importance of visual arts as a form of communication, self-expression, mental health, and social-emotional learning. Through her innovative and inclusive approach, Carly fosters an environment where every student can thrive and achieve success in their artistic endeavors.

Cape May County - Antonio Martin Franco, Stone Harbor Elementary School

Antonio Martín Franco earned a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in Spanish and a major in health and physical education from the Universidad de Granada in Spain.

He began his teaching career in Spain before he moved to the United States where he taught for three years in Pennsylvania before arriving at Stone Harbor Elementary School.

He works very hard not only to engage his students but also to establish relationships with them.

When he became a teacher in America, he knew he wanted his students to understand that there is a big world out there, and the more they understand and appreciate other cultures, the more that world opens to them.

Cumberland County - Karolina Mills, Durand Elementary School, Vineland

Karolina Mills holds a bachelor’s degree in English and education and a master’s degree in education from Palacký University in the Czech Republic.

She is a lead teacher in ESL curriculum development and an ESL coach in her district.

In her classroom at Marie Durand Elementary School, where the “linguistic metamorphosis” happens, many of her students have entered without knowing one word of English, having unexplainable fear in their eyes, and leave her classroom with confidence and pride rooted in their accomplishments and hard work of learning the English language.

Ocean County - Jill Falletta, First Grade Teacher at Beach Haven School

Jill Falletta earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and sociology from The College of New Jersey and a master’s in education and supervision from Georgian Court University.

Jill teaches her students to be empathetic and be able to connect to the world around them by having her students work together on community outreach projects. She has established the Beach Haven School Little Free Library for Children and organized the Phillies Phanatic About Reading program.

She wants her students to leave the world a better place because of how they treat and care for others.