ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Conchetta Marucci has been turning Allentown students into memoirists and poets for more than two decades.
“They bleed on the page and then you get to read all that and be witness to some of the hardships and then some of the joy,” said Marruci, an eighth-grade literacy teacher at Trexler Middle School.
“It’s really been an honor to do all of that for kids.”
“She loves the students, she loves the school, she loves the community.”Trexler School Principal Bob Morrow
Marucci was recently named Allentown School District's Teacher of the Year because of her passion for teaching students English language arts and her knack for making them feel valued in the classroom.
Marucci’s win was announced Monday at the district’s convocation ceremony at PPL Center. The event welcomes teachers back ahead of the approaching school year that starts next week.
“She loves the students, she loves the school, she loves the community,” Trexler Principal Bob Morrow said of Marucci.
Marucci was nominated for the award by a colleague and chosen as one of four finalists by an ASD staff committee.
Students, staff, parents and community members then voted for her to win the Teacher of the Year recognition for 2023-24 — the second year ASD has held the contest.
Dodd Elementary School Principal Katrina Griffin and Union Terrace Elementary School Secretary Belynda Beck won administrator and support staff member of the year, respectively.
'Genuinely impact a child'
As for the Trexler community, no one is at all surprised Marucci won the Teacher of the Year honor. She has been in the district for 22 years and at Trexler for 19.
She’s done everything from running Trexler’s social media accounts to managing the yearbook to organizing the school’s parent organization.
For the past decade, she's also hosted a monthly breakfast celebration for winners of the school’s Student of the Month contest.
“She’s always looking for ways to make things better for the students."Becky Hann, who teaches eighth grade English at Trexler with Marucci
“She’s always looking for ways to make things better for the students," said Becky Hann, who teaches eighth-grade English at Trexler with Marucci.
Originally from Mount Carmel in Northumberland County, Marucci has early memories of playing with a chalkboard and pretending to be a teacher as a child.
But when she graduated from high school, Marucci thought she’d be a waitress, taking after family members in the restaurant and culinary industry.
At the urging of her mother, she instead went to college and studied English and secondary education at DeSales University.
She student-taught at South Mountain Middle School, fell in love with Allentown students and never looked back.
“We definitely have a unique opportunity to genuinely impact a child in a way that many others don’t,” Marucci said, explaining teachers in urban districts often provide emotional support that students may lack at home.
'Give the kids a bit of freedom'
Marucci said one of her favorite parts of teaching is learning about students’ experiences by reading their personal essays. It’s through their stories that she learns more about their cultures and families and about Allentown, too, she said.
It’s those essays that make English class personal for both her and students.
Marucci will always remember when one of her former students wrote about his brother’s death due to street violence.
“It was really a challenge to read because it was very emotional, and I know it took a lot out of him to share that."Allentown Schools Teacher of the Year Conchetta Marucci
“It was really a challenge to read because it was very emotional, and I know it took a lot out of him to share that,” she said.
Students also learn to express themselves through poetry in Marucci’s class.
“That’s really where you get to give the kids a bit of freedom,” she said.
They write free verse poems, as well as haikus and cinquains, which both have specific requirements for the number of syllables and lines of text they use.
Students also read works from poets, such as Billy Collins, Nikki Giovanni and Yusef Komunyakaa.
Every year, Marucci’s students enter work in the Lehigh Valley Press’ Student Poetry Project. She’s had at least one winner every year for a decade, and this past year her students swept the middle school contest.
'Atypical expression'
Not only does Marucci show her students how to tell their own stories, she also teaches them about the stories of those who came before them.
A critical part of eighth-grade studies is learning about the Holocaust. The students research and read about the lives of victims. For many students, it's their first time learning about the genocide.
“She’s so kind, she’s so funny. You like being in her class so much that you wouldn’t disrespect her or her classroom.”Elie Nassar, a seventh-grade science teacher at Trexler School
Students also learn about World War II. In the past, Marucci has organized for veterans to come in to have lunch with students to share their own experience with war and service.
Elie Nassar, a seventh-grade science teacher at Trexler and a former student of Marucci’s, admittedly doesn't remember much about the content he learned in middle school. But he remembers how Marucci made him feel in the classroom.
Nassar said Marucci created a fun atmosphere with opportunities for “atypical expression” for students.
Marucci relies on connections with the teens to keep them on task, he said.
“She’s so kind, she’s so funny,” he said. “You like being in her class so much that you wouldn’t disrespect her or her classroom.”
'They're my success'
While Marucci isn’t one for attention, she said it’s nice to be recognized for her work. Though the real reward is seeing her students — like Nassar — succeed, she said.
“I have students everywhere doing the coolest stuff,” she said. “And I think that that is so awesome.”
One student has created a clothing line, one works for NASA and another builds schools in India. It’s these students to whom Marucci dedicated her award.
“This award is for you,” she said in her acceptance speech. “Because without you, this responsibility, this gift, this calling, is meaningless.
“The only award I ever need is my students. They’re my success. Proof that what I do matters.”
