This year’s Teacher of the Year finalists were Lisa Donovan, language arts teacher; Jeff Marx, science teacher; Monique Merritt, foreign language teacher; Denise Meyer, physical education teacher; and Melissa Schumacher, language arts teacher.

On Feb. 9, Merritt was announced as the official 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year.

Seniors Megan Rigabar and Jack Rogan teamed up to nominate Merritt for the award.

Rigabar gave Merritt’s nomination speech to the Lafayette faculty on Feb. 9.

“I nominated her for Teacher of the Year because I felt like she is an incredibly deserving teacher and woman and is incredibly helpful to me in and out of the classroom. I wanted to recognize her for it,” Megan Rigabar, senior, said.

Rogan assisted Rigabar in Merritt’s nomination.

“I nominated Mrs. Merritt because I think that her passion and her dedication to her work deserved recognition. The way she interacts with her students and the way that she conducts herself in the classroom is very honorable and unique. The way that she teaches and the way that she deals with her students is in a manner where she allows everyone to feel accepted and to feel welcome in her classroom,” Jack Rogan, senior, said.

Merritt will be awarded a parking spot and will be formally announced as Teacher of the Year at the Academic Pep Assembly in March.