Published by the Associated Press

December 9, 2013

A southeastern Pennsylvania educator is going to the head of the class.

Rose Tree Elementary School teacher Anthony Edward Grisillo received Pennsylvania's 2014 Teacher of the Year award today.

Governor Corbett made the announcement during an event in Hershey.

“As a former teacher, I extend warm congratulations to Anthony for achieving this significant honor. Anthony’s ability to inspire creativity, encourage innovation and engage his students has had a positive impact on all who have spent time in his classroom," Corbett says. "Our children deserve great teachers, and I appreciate all Pennsylvania educators who share Anthony’s commitment to both the education profession and their students."

Rose Tree is in the Rose Tree Media School District in Delaware County.

Grisillo, currently in his 15th year at Rose Tree Media School District, is an instructor for the Academically Gifted Program for kindergarten through fifth grade. Since 2000, he has served as the elementary science coordinator for curriculum and development.

He was nominated last year while working at Rose Tree Elementary School and currently teaches in two different elementary schools in the Delaware County school district.

Superintendent James Wigo (WY-go) says Grisillo is the poster child for the district's philosophy of trying to teach kids to learn, create and invent, rather than simply just remember.
He also says Grisillo brings his best performance to work every day in a profession that demands it.
Grisillo beat out 11 other finalists from Cumberland, Centre, Lebanon, Delaware, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Montgomery and Jefferson counties. The two midstate finalists were Daryl Balseiro of the Big Spring School District in Cumberland County and Linda Coll of the Northern Lebanon School District in Lebanon County.

Seventh grader James Riley McGowan says everyone enjoyed Grisillo's way of teaching and that he inspired the student to make his own movies. Grisillo taught McGowan in fourth and fifth grades.

In addition to earning Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, Grisillo is the recipient of the Acme Teacher of the Month Award in December 2012 and the Boeing Space Camp for Educators Right Stuff Award in 2000, and was a Discovery Educator Network STAR Educator from 2009 to 2013.

Pennsylvania's Teacher of the Year program is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National State Teacher of the Year, which was founded in 1995.

("Top teacher in PA named," Associated Press, 12/9/13)