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Waterbury teacher nominated for national award for teaching excellence

January 20, 2025


WATERBURY, CT (WFSB) - A Waterbury teacher was nominated for a national award for teaching excellence.

Arjelis Heredia from the private Children’s Community School in Waterbury was nominated for the award.

The National Life Group’s LifeChanger of the Year award goes to one educator who goes above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of their students.

Katherin Sniffen, school principal, said she was most impressed by how Ms. Arjelis handled remote schooling during the pandemic.

“And those children were connected, every one of them. They were the most connected of all of our classes throughout that entire time when the world was remote,” Sniffen said.

Ms. Arjelis teaches all subjects in her class, including Spanish and American Sign Language.

She leads the Children’s Community School in a phrase of the week each morning.

“This week’s phrase is ‘soy valiente’, I am brave,” said Ms. Arjelis.

She believes in teaching her middle school students important life skills and preparing them to become young adults.

“At this young age, they absorb a lot of information... We open bank accounts before they leave, we apply for the city summer jobs before they graduate,” she explained.

Ms. Arjelis said she is proud to be recognized in a national spotlight.

Her advice to other educators was simple.

“There’s a lot of social and emotional building, how do you talk correctly? How do you express it? Just, you can’t give up,” she said.

The LifeChanger of the Year will be announced in the spring.

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