North Smithfield reading specialist named 2016 Teacher of the Year

TRACY L. LAFRENIERE, left, was named the 2016 Teacher of the Year in a surprise ceremony Thursday at the school where she works - North Smithfield Elementary School. Next to her is Deborah A. Gist, commissioner of elementary and secondary education. / COURTESY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
TRACY L. LAFRENIERE, left, was named the 2016 Teacher of the Year in a surprise ceremony Thursday at the school where she works - North Smithfield Elementary School. Next to her is Deborah A. Gist, commissioner of elementary and secondary education. / COURTESY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

NORTH SMITHFIELD – Tracy L. Lafreniere was named Teacher of the Year in a surprise ceremony Thursday morning at North Smithfield Elementary School, where she works as a reading specialist and literacy coach.
Lafreniere, who has spent her entire 17-year teaching career at the school, now becomes a candidate for the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, according to the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“I never so much aspired to become a teacher but rather I was born knowing I was going to be one,” Lafreniere, of Providence, wrote in her Teacher of the Year application. “Teaching struggling readers is both my greatest challenge and my greatest accomplishment. Teaching a child to be a reader changes who they are, and that is an impact that lasts a lifetime.”

Said Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, “Tracy has set countless Rhode Island children up for continued success by devoting her career to working with struggling readers in the early grades. I commend her for her service and for setting such a wonderful example for other teachers in Rhode Island.”

Deborah A. Gist, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said Lafreniere is “completely devoted to her profession and to her students.”
“Her colleagues respect her, and they turn to her for advice and for ideas. She is a champion of innovative teaching methods, such as the Tail Wagging Tutors service dogs who come to school to inspire reluctant readers. Tracy brings joy and a spirit of fun to the classroom, and I know she will represent Rhode Island well as our next teacher of the year,” Gist said in a statement.

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Lafreniere also serves on the executive board of the Rhode Island Writing Project, and she is one of the Common Core ambassadors for the R.I. Department of Education (RIDE). She also co-chairs of the School Improvement Team at the North Smithfield Elementary School and is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Literacy Clinic at Providence College.

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