Edgewood Elementary Teacher Named Harford County's Teacher of the Year

An Edgewood Elementary School teacher was named Teacher of the Year Wednesday at the 20th annual Harford County Public Schools Teacher of the Year banquet.

The award winner, Lawrence Jehnert, is a third-grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary School who tried to connect personally with all students at the school to develop positive behavior, according to a statement from Harford County Public Schools.

“Mr. Jehnert’s impact at Edgewood Elementary—on his students and colleagues—is anything but ordinary,” said Edgewood Elementary School teacher Erika Jones, who nominated him for the award.

"He can be credited with truly infusing our school days with positivity," Jones said. "The kids look at him, wide-eyed, and listen to his honest stories about what he was like as a student and how far he has come. They connect and engage with him in a way I have never seen with any other teacher.”

Jehnert has contributed to the School Improvement Team and is a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team leader, a role in which works to
improve the overall behavior of the students in his school. He coordinated a seminar where teachers and staff identified traits vital for the student demographic at Edgewood Elementary to develop.

In addition, during the 2012–13 school year, 87 percent of students in Jehnert’s homeroom achieved proficient or advanced status on the MSA, according to a statement from Harford County Public Schools.

"Mr. Jehnert exemplifies the qualities of a dedicated teacher and consummate professional. I am extremely proud that he will be representing Harford County Public Schools teachers at the state level," Superintendent Barbara Canvan said at the awards banquet at The Bayou restaurant in Havre de Grace.

Jehnert received his bachelor’s and master's degrees in elementary education from Towson University. As a teacher at Edgewood Elementary since 2002, he earned the Greater Excellence in Education Foundation’s Everyday Hero honor in 2012 and was named the Boys and Girls Club Teacher of the Year honor in 2004.

For being teacher of the year, Jehnert received a brand-new 2013 Mazda3 lease for one year from Cook Auto, a Dell laptop, a Saxon’s watch and a Jostens custom ring. In addition, he received gift certificates for dinners, and merchant and bank gift cards plus $1,200 from HAR-CO Credit Union.

Next, Jehnert will compete for the title of Maryland Teacher of the Year; the winner will be announced at the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala in October.