2016 Winner

2016 recipient of the inaugural JMU High School Physics Teacher of the Year Award:

Mrs. Sonia Faletti

Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria, VA

(Standford University – B.S. & University of Virginia – M.A.)

The student who nominated Mrs. Faletti is Isabel Ledesma, currently an Engineering major at JMU. Here is Isabel in her own words describing the exceptional attributes of Mrs. Faletti:

“Mrs. Faletti never failed to make my day. She was always enthusiastic about learning, especially learning about physics and its many applications. Whenever a student struggled with understanding a concept, she really took the time to explain what the problem may be and guided the student to a complete understanding of the concept. Additionally, she was energized by the discoveries that each individual made in her class. She was excited to see the look on one’s face when he or she finally understood the concept or when their minds were blown away. Her wit and her smile were truly contagious, as one could never leave her class saying that it was not fun. My favorite aspects of Mrs. Faletti’s class was the many demonstrations she did and the weekly hands-on labs. These were what made physics concrete for me to see and apply to everyday life. Mrs. Faletti never failed to entertain and educate each student. She is a wonderful guide through the mysterious and intriguing world of physics.”