2024-2025 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year

Stefanie Lachenauer Surprise Assembly Notification Video

Civics and Mindfulness Teacher at Montgomery Upper Middle School in the Montgomery Township School District

Stefanie Lachenauer’s academic journey began at Rutgers University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Douglass College and later her master's degree in elementary education with a specialization in middle school social studies from Rutgers Graduate School of Education. For over eighteen years, she has been a guiding force within the Montgomery Township School District, pioneering innovative curricula and courses where Stefanie has made an impact both locally and globally by empowering her students to create change and to take care of themselves. From the Global Leadership course she created to the Skills for Success and Active Citizenship course, Stefanie’s classes transcend traditional boundaries, fostering a generation of socially conscious learners.

She supports her Global Leadership students in learning about what it means to be a global citizen and how to think globally and act locally. Stefanie’s students connect to a variety of local community efforts, and she supports them in creating change after exploring the UN Global Goals for Sustainability. Her students make their voices heard through letter writing, donations, and connecting to nonprofits.  In 2022, she presented at the Global Leadership Summit on sports and wellness in Berlin, Germany.

Her Skills for Success course is curated to support different social and emotional learning and executive functioning skills so that each lesson her students receive is personalized to them and something that they can bring into their lives right now and into the future.  Class begins with a brief mindfulness lesson which teaches a different mindfulness practice where students learn above neuroscience and how to self-regulate.

Stefanie’s impact extends beyond the classroom, as she serves as co-chair of her school’s Compassionate Care Team, District Wellness Champion, and Title 1 Family Engagement Coordinator. Additionally, she began the Reflections Club which teaches and practices stress relief strategies in which hundreds of students have participated in.  Her advocacy has resulted in district-wide initiatives like Self-Care Days and mindfulness integration into the Skills for Success curriculum.  She has been a trailblazer in the areas of trauma-informed practices, resilience, and overall well-being, significantly contributing to the growth and development of her school, district, and community. Noticing a significant change in stress amongst the students, Stefanie took it upon herself to become a certified yoga and mindfulness instructor.  In doing so, she integrated her knowledge into courses creating a full mindfulness curriculum that all students now take during their time at Montgomery Upper Middle School.

She offers professional development to her colleagues and has helped start and continues to organize the school’s Cougar CARE Days for the students providing them with healthy coping strategies, and executive functioning skills, and teaching them different wellness modalities.  She firmly believes social-emotional health and well-being is the foundation of quality education where student engagement and wellness begins with teacher wellness.  When teachers are at their best, students can be their best.

Stefanie's accolades, including the Montgomery Middle School Parent Teacher Association Staff Appreciation Award and the Somerset County Paul Krauss Award, are a testament to her profound influence. In every endeavor, Stefanie embodies the transformative power of education and the importance of student and staff mental health and wellness.