Domenick Renzi, fifth grade basic skills math teacher, was award District Teacher of the Year after spending 21 years working in the township public schools
Wedgwood Elementary School fifth-grade basic skills math teacher Domenick Renzi has been selected as the District’s Teacher of the Year, making him eligible for Gloucester County Teacher of the Year consideration. Renzi has spent his entire 21 years in education in the Washington Township public schools, including one year as an elementary supervisor and a four-year stint, from 2008 to 2012, as principal at Bells Elementary School.
“My decision to be a teacher was solidified in elementary school when, as a young child, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease,” Renzi said. “I recall the kindness, time and dedication of my teachers who encouraged me to never give up. It is the teacher who has the challenge of becoming a positive influence in his students’ lives that is both immeasurable and life changing. This challenge keeps the passion in my heart, the dedication in my teaching and the smile on my face.”
Renzi has garnered extensive recognition during his time in the district, including two Teacher of the Year honors — 1998 at Bells Elementary, 2017 at Wedgwood Elementary — and a 1999 nomination for Disney’s American Teacher Awards. He has submitted and received numerous grants to enhance his classroom innovation, including three grants from the Toshiba American Foundation and one from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. A member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the New Jersey Association for Educational Technology, Renzi has served as a presenter on numerous occasions in the district and in the region on improving math fluency, using handheld computers, implementing everyday math and guided math. He is a valued leader in his building and throughout the district.
“Domenick is an extraordinary educator,” Director of Elementary Education Gretchen Gerber said. “He strives to provide differentiated instructional activities to support the learning styles of all learners. His credentials, enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment to his students have had an everlasting effect on the students and families with whom he has so diligently worked.”
In his current teaching capacity, Renzi works collaboratively in grades one through five and often includes math stations, differentiated learning, technology and math manipulative to assist his co-teachers in carrying on best practices in their classrooms. Every month, he publishes a math newsletter called “Mustang Math” that contains information on math clubs that he facilitates, critical reminders about testing and games for teachers to use during math class.
“Renzi is as wonderful an ambassador for Wedgwood School and our district as we could ask for,” Wedgwood principal Charlie Zimmerman said. “He is a caring and compassionate professional who makes math come to life for his students. In his role as a mathematics basic skills instructor, Renzi uses his expertise to serve as a resource for his colleagues throughout the district. He’s that special educator who makes both the children and adults that he works with want to continue learning with him. Our school community is so very proud to see him selected as our District Teacher of the Year.”
