South Jersey Times – WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Among the phone calls that Birches Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Mary Byatt received, when news of her latest teaching recognition spread through the community, was from the office of State Sen. Fred Madden.

Along with his personal congratulations, Sen. Madden invited Byatt to be his guest on the floor of the New Jersey Senate on Aug. 13, where he, along with Senate President Steve Sweeney, presented her with a proclamation commemorating her recognition as the 2014-15 New Jersey Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies. Byatt’s husband, Bob, an English teacher at Washington Township High School, and several District administrators accompanied her to Trenton to witness the honor.

The highly decorated Byatt, a former District and Gloucester County Teacher of the Year, is a 22-year veteran of the Washington Township Public Schools. In receiving her latest state recognition, Byatt was cited for her strong ability to foster within her students the development of democratic beliefs and values and for her encouragement of age-appropriate civic participation.

She also was honored for her strong content-area expertise, her innovation with instructional materials, and her professional involvement in workshops, curriculum development and committees related to social studies education.