Teacher of the year is an award given to an outstanding individual in all of Williamsburg-James City County school division. What makes this award even more special is that it is decided by the teachers associated with WJCC. And this year, the award was given to Stephen Legawiec, history teacher at Lafayette. The fact that Mr. Legawiec is only in his second-year teaching in this district makes winning this award all the more amazing.  

After getting his education at Boston College, Mr. Legawiec began his teaching career at Woodside Highschool. Then in 2016, he moved to Williamsburg to teach both US History and AP US History. With Brenda Fairbairn just retiring, Mr. Legawiec had pretty big shoes to fill. But it only took him two years to exceed expectations and become one of the most renowned teachers in the entire district. Before winning teacher of the year for the WJCC Schools Division, the only awards that Mr. Legawiec had won were a couple of SOL success recognition awards and some student-nominated awards. 

When interviewed, Mr. Legawiec had a bit to say. “It was surprising and I felt very welcome from the beginning. I’ve always had a great relationship with the students, but earning it from the teachers was really nice,” said Mr. Legawiec when asked about his reaction to winning teacher of the year. “The enthusiasm here made it easy to do what I do well, better.” Mr. Legawiec also went on to describe why he liked teaching at Lafayette so much.  “People understand the basics here, so I am able to go more in-depth. When I finish what I have planned for the year early, I can explore topics outside of the curriculum with my students.” Mr. Legawiec also mentioned that the students at Lafayette have “exceptional writing ability in addition to their willingness to engage in discussions.” 

Lafayette Junior Allie Touron had many nice things to say about our teacher of the year.  “Mr. Legawiec is probably the most unique teacher I have had. His teaching style is really engaging and he is really funny,” she told us. “APUSH is an extremely hard class, but with Mr. Legawiec teaching, I feel like I am actually learning the material and applying it rather than just spitting out facts.”

Senior Zach Galli, one the first students that Mr. Legawiec taught at Lafayette, also had praise for the highly regarded teacher. “Mr. Legawiec is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He really prepared me for every test and the AP exam too. And he’s so interesting with his stories from his past and his occasional singing outbursts,” said Zach. “I don’t think I would have gotten such a good grade without him. He really deserves to be teacher of the year.”  

Obviously, not only the students adore him, but teachers have also registered their approval. The special bond that Mr. Legawiec is able to develop between himself and his students allows for both parties to thrive and surpass their goals, and everyone in Williamsburg-James City County school division has taken notice.