National Teacher of the Year
2023-24
Bellport High School teacher earns national award
Bellport High School
teacher Andrew Budris has been recognized by the National Council for
the Social Studies with the distinguished 2023-2024 Secondary Teacher of
the Year Award. He will be presented with the award and $2,500 at a
ceremony in Nashville on Dec. 1.
“I don't think this award indicates I'm the best social studies
teacher,” said Budris. “Instead, I think it shows that at South Country,
I've been allowed to be innovative in areas that the National Council
for the Social Studies values. Those include project-based learning
instruction, real-life civics and the teaching of controversial topics
in a responsible way. And I'm honored that our district is recognized
for leading in those areas.
Budris plans to use the monetary reward to sponsor a Bellport High
School scholarship program that will be open to members of the Class of
2024 who are first generation college students and are interested in a
career in education.
This is the second impressive award that Budris has earned for his
teaching. Last year, he was recognized by the New York State Council for
the Social Studies with the distinguished Outstanding High School Social
Studies Classroom Teacher Award.
Budris credits much of what he has accomplished in his classroom and
within the social studies department to the unwavering support that he
has received. In his classroom, Budris reinforces the curriculum through
problem-based learning, a teaching tool that he has brought to his
co-workers and that has earned him the opportunity to present at
conferences at the local, state and national level.
Budris has also presented on the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness
program, which he and Jackie O’Hagan, director of the South Country
School District’s humanities department, implemented in the district in
2022. South Country was one of only a handful of school districts on
Long Island last year to offer the new Civic Readiness pathway, an
all-encompassing program that teaches students how to apply civic
knowledge, skills and mindsets to make positive impacts in their school,
community and the world. It also aims to strengthen relationships with
community partners and civic leaders. An impressive 95% of the Class of
2023 graduated with the Seal of Civic Readiness attached to their
diplomas.
Budris, a Bellport resident, has been teaching at Bellport High School
for the past 26 years. He currently teaches AP U.S. Government and
Politics and co-teaches AP Research. He also serves as the lead teacher
for the social studies department, a position he has held for the past
seven years. He taught for two years in the Brownsville section of
Brooklyn before moving to Bellport.
The accomplished teacher earned his undergraduate degree in political
science from Siena College and his master’s in liberal sciences from
Stony Brook University. He is currently working toward his doctorate in
learning and teaching from Hofstra University.
When not teaching, Budris and his wife, Ellen Hoffman, who is an English
teacher at Bellport High School, are supporting their
three-sport-athlete daughter, who is a senior at the high school.
New York City Marathon 2022
