Trenton Educator Named Mercer County Teacher Of The Year

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A biology teacher from Trenton High School has been named Mercer County’s Teacher of the Year for 2024-25, the NJ Department of Education announced.

Nicole Hamlet teaches biology at Trenton Central High School in the Trenton School District. She was recognized alongside 20 other educators at an awards ceremony held at The College of New Jersey on Tuesday, officials said.

Hamlet has been teaching for 19 years in the Trenton School District.

“What defines Nicole as an extraordinary educator is her firm belief that every student has the capacity to learn. She also believes that students deserve the opportunity to learn in an inclusive, safe, and active learning environment that is culturally responsive as well as meets the needs of her students,” the NJDOE said.

Hamlet earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. A few years later, she went back to school and earned a post-baccalaureate degree in Biotechnology, followed by a master’s degree in Developmental Biology from Jefferson University.

Recently, she earned her master’s degree in administration and leadership from Georgian Court University.

Before teaching, Hamlet worked in a research laboratory setting that studied the eye and development diseases of the eye and used her background and interest in research to develop opportunities for her students.

For the past 14 years, Hamlet has worked with rising sophomores in the Princeton University Preparatory Program where she has created a six-week hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum that allows students to work collaboratively, using the scientific method, to explore real-life scientific questions and work through experimental laboratory science, the DOE said.

“She has taken students to visit research facilities such as the Princeton Physics Plasma Laboratory, Rutgers University Protein Data Bank, and PTC Therapeutics Laboratory with Nicole’s ultimate goal of starting a high school biotechnology program for students to gain more exposure to opportunities in the ever-changing field of science,” the DOE said.

Individual schools select Teachers of the Year, who are then eligible to apply for County Teacher of the Year through the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program, which was established to promote a positive school culture by acknowledging the commitment and dedication of outstanding teachers and educational services professionals. More information is available on the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program webpage.

The County Teachers of the Year will network with colleagues throughout the state and serve as representatives for New Jersey’s public schools during the upcoming school year.

A panel of educators will select the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year from among the 21 County Teachers of the Year based on written applications, video submissions, and interviews with the top finalists. The New Jersey State Teacher of the Year will go on to represent New Jersey in competing for the title of National Teacher of the Year.

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