Melissa Garffer, a second grade teacher at Veramendi Elementary School, was named Region 13 Teacher of the Year in August and recognized at the Sep. 13 meeting of the NBISD board of trustees.
Garffer has taught in NBISD for the past 29 years in many elementary roles. She has been a second grade dual language teacher, a fourth grade bilingual teacher, a gifted and talented teacher, and an instructional technology specialist.
In 1986, she began her teaching career as a teacher specialist and dyslexia interventionist for a private school, then later worked as a teaching and instructional assistant for the University of Texas at Austin prior to joining NBISD in 1993, according to a release from the district.
Garffer is also active in her role as an educator outside of the classroom. She has been a presenter and trainer for the Texas Association of School Administrators, the Texas Computer Educators Association, the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented, and the NBISD Summer Academy.
Region 13 Teacher of the Year is not her first accolade. In 1997 she was a finalist from Carl Schurz Elementary for teacher of the year and a 2006 TCEA Technology Specialist of the year.
Garffer was also selected as the NBISD elementary teacher of the year and a Silver Unicorn recipient this year.
Garffer earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and master’s degree in special education from UT.
Region 13 covers 57 school districts in central Texas, according to the Region 13 Education Service Center.
