• Nov. 1, 2016
     
    High school teacher named Outstanding Educator

    Laura Moeller Upper St. Clair High School teacher Laura Moeller has been selected for the Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Chicago. The Office of College Admissions grants the Outstanding Educator Award to teachers who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to the education and personal development of their students.

    “Each year, we invite entering first-year students to nominate an educator who has influenced them, challenged them, or helped them along the path toward intellectual growth,” James G. Nondorf, vice president for enrollment at the University of Chicago, said. “We receive letters back from hundreds of students, inspired by teachers who have changed the course of their lives, who taught them to re-imagine texts, to delve deeper into problem-solving, and to think beyond the borders of the classroom in the pursuit of their own education.”

    Mrs. Moeller has been a member of the Upper St. Clair High School English faculty for the last 16 years. She teaches IB English 11 and Academic English 12. She was nominated for the Outstanding Educator Award by Gaurav Bhushan, a 2016 Upper St. Clair graduate and a former student in Mrs. Moeller’s IB English course.

    “I am very proud of Mrs. Moeller for the positive meaningful impact she continues to have on our students,” Dr. Lou Angelo, Upper St. Clair High School principal, said.

    In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Moeller has been involved in several initiatives at the high school including the Student Support Service team, Natural Helpers program, International Education Week, National Honor Society, Philosophy Club, Moleskine Club and middle school track.

    Mrs. Moeller has been nominated twice by students for the Teacher Excellence Award, a regional teacher recognition program that ran from 1993-2003.

    A graduate of Allegheny College, Mrs. Moeller holds undergraduate degrees in English and psychology. She earned her master’s degree in education in English from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to pursuing her teaching career, Mrs. Moeller worked as an editor at Triumph Books in Chicago for three years.

    Mrs. Moeller resides in Mt. Lebanon with her husband, Matt, and their two sons, Patrick and Finn.