2022 New Mexico Teacher of the Year
Lorynn Guerrero is currently teaching English to 9th- and 12th -grade students at the New America School-Las Cruces, a charter high school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She also teaches teen parents in a GRADS (graduation, reality and dual-role skills) class. There are about 150 traditional high-school students at the New America School, who attend from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The charter high school also teaches adults from ages 18 to 22, who attend classes from 5:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. and can earn a high school diploma.
Ms. Guerrero graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science in secondary education with an emphasis in English language arts in 2005. She is currently attending Eastern New Mexico University and will graduate in 2022 with a Master of Education with an emphasis in education administration. She has Advanced Placement certification in literature and composition from New Mexico Highland University and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certification from Eastern New Mexico University.
In 2021, as a member of the New America School staff, Guerrero received the Champions of Children award through Jardin de Los Niños. In 2017, she was nominated for Tú Revista Latina magazine’s Educators for Excellence award. Her first nomination for Teacher of the Year came in 2008, when she was teaching at Hatch Middle School. Her pedagogical priority is to work with students and educators to encourage personalized education for all students.
The New Mexico Teacher of the Year Program began in 1963. Each year, all New Mexico school districts and Charter schools are invited to nominate an outstanding teacher to become New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year; this teacher represents New Mexico in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year acts as the spokesperson for the teaching profession for New Mexico. The New Mexico Teacher of the Year program incorporates the New Mexico Public Education Department’s vision of a world-class educational system in which all New Mexico students are prepared to succeed in a diverse, and increasingly complex, world.
2023 New Mexico Teacher of the Year Nominations
PED in partnership with the NMOGA recently announced the call for 2023 Teacher of The Year nominations. The application period has closed. PED received several highly competitive applications from exceptional educators ranging from early childhood to high school teachers from throughout the state. The next Teacher of the Year will be announced soon.